斤

jīn

measure word HSK 2 #14,419

Meanings

Píngguǒ duōshǎo qián yì jīn?

How much is a catty of apples?

Wǒ mǎi le liǎng jīn ròu.

I bought two catties of meat (1 kg).

Tā shòu le wǔ jīn.

She lost five catties (2.5 kg).

usage

1 斤 = 500 grams = about 1.1 pounds. Market prices are almost always per 斤, not per kilogram.

culture

Chinese people talk about body weight in 斤. If someone says they weigh 120, they mean 120 斤 (60 kg), not 120 kg!

grammar

公斤 (gōngjīn) = kilogram (literally public catty). Used in scientific/international contexts.

斤 jīn