公斤

• Pinyin: gōng jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 公 = public, official, metric; 斤 = pictograph of an axe, used as a weight unit (approx. 500g)

Meaning

Kilogram. The standard metric unit of weight used in China.

The official unit for weight in modern China. In daily life, many people still use 斤 (half a kilogram) when shopping at markets. One 公斤 equals two 斤.

Examples

1. 这个西瓜有五公斤重。 This watermelon weighs five kilograms.
2. 我买了两公斤苹果。 I bought two kilograms of apples.
3. 她的体重是五十公斤。 Her weight is fifty kilograms.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, health, measurements

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 这个包裹有三公斤。(This parcel weighs three kilograms.)
• 一公斤等于两斤。(One kilogram equals two jin.)

Don't Say

• 在菜市场买菜时一般说'斤'不说'公斤' — at traditional markets, vendors and shoppers typically use 斤 (500g), not 公斤.

Origin & History

Compound of 公 (metric/official) and 斤 (a traditional Chinese unit of weight), creating the metric equivalent — 'official jin.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal