Meaning of 斤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- catty
- (PRC) weight equal to 500 g
- (Tw) weight equal to 600 g
- (HK, Malaysia, Singapore) slightly over 604 g
How to use 斤
斤 is a measure word for weight used every day at markets in mainland China, where one jīn is 500 g, or half a kilogram. Prices for fruit, vegetables and meat are usually quoted per jīn. Example: 苹果五块钱一斤。(Píngguǒ wǔ kuài qián yì jīn.) Apples are five yuan per jīn.
斤 (jīn) looks like an old axe with a handle on the left and a blade on the right. Picture a butcher using a cleaver to cut meat into portions you buy by the jīn.
Common mistake: Learners often assume 斤 means kilogram and end up buying twice as much as they wanted. A kilogram is 公斤 (gōngjīn), and one 公斤 equals two 斤 in mainland China.
斤 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
斤 jīn · catty · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 斤.
Questions about 斤
What does 斤 mean?
斤 (jīn) means "catty; (PRC) weight equal to 500 g" and is used as a measure word.
How do you write 斤?
斤 is made of 1 character: 斤 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 斤 an HSK word?
Yes. 斤 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say half a jīn or one and a half jīn?
Half a jīn is 半斤 (bàn jīn). One and a half jīn is 一斤半 (yì jīn bàn), with 半 placed after the measure word.
Is 斤 the same weight everywhere Chinese is spoken?
No. In mainland China it is 500 g, in Taiwan it is 600 g, and in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore it is slightly over 604 g. Check the local standard when shopping.