Taiwanese units of measurement (; Hakka: Thòi-chṳ) are the customary and traditional units of measure used in Taiwan. The Taiwanese units formed in the 1900s when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. The system mainly refers to Japanese system. The measurement refers to the traditional size of a tatami, a Japanese mat made of woven dried grass, which were positioned to completely cover the floor of traditional Japanese homes, therefore it became a convenient measurement tool as mat area was standardised hundreds of years ago. In Taiwan the measurement units were pronounced in Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka before World War II and adopted by the Mandarin-speaking immigrants from China in 1949. Today, the Taiwanese units are used exclusively, in some cases alongside official SI units, and in other cases they have been replaced by SI.

Although the Taiwanese units have similar names to those in Chinese units of measurement and Hong Kong units of measurement, the standards are different from those used in China and Hong Kong due to them being Japanese in origin.

The Taiwanese units are not used in the Chinese territories of Kinmen and Matsu, as although they are under the control of the Republic of China, these places have never been under Japanese rule. Instead, they retain the use of Chinese units in the Republican era, which are based on metric values and still mostly the same as People's Republic of China.

Length Linear measure in Taiwan is largely metric but some units derived from traditional Japanese units of measurement remain in use as a legacy of Japanese rule. + Table of LengthsUnitTaiwanesefeet Metric US & ImperialNotesTaiwanese HokkienHakkaMandarinCharacterExactApprox.ExactApprox. Hun Fûn Fēn   m 3.030mm yd 0.1193inSame as Japanese Bu Chhùn Chhun Cùn   m 3.030cm yd 1.193inTaiwanese inch; Same as Japanese Sun Chhioh Chhak Chǐ 1   m 30.30cm yd 11.93inTaiwanese foot; Same as Japanese Shaku Tn̄g Chhong Zhàng 10  m 3.030m yd 9ft11.3inTaiwanese fathom; Same as Japanese Jō

Taiwanese length units and the translation of length units in metric system (SI) shares the same character. The adjective Taiwanese () can be added to address the Taiwanese unis system. For example, means Taiwanese foot and means meter.

Area

Unlike with other measures, area continues to be almost commonly measured with traditional units. Taiwanese units of area are derived from both traditional Dutch and Japanese measurements. The principal unit for measuring the floor space of an office or apartment is (Taiwanese Hokkien: pêⁿ,In Taiwanese Hokkien, is also pronounced pîⁿ, phêⁿ, phîⁿ, phiâⁿ, phêng depends on the accents. Hakka: phiàng, Mandarin: píng). The unit is derived from the Japanese tsubo, the base unit of the Japanese area. The principal unit of land measure is (Taiwanese Hokkien: kah, Hakka: kap, Mandarin: jiǎ). The unit is derived from the obsolete Dutch morgen, which was introduced during Taiwan's Dutch era. In the later era Kingdom of Tungning, (Taiwanese Hokkien: lê, Hakka: lài, Mandarin: lí) is defined to represent the area that could be farmed by one man with one ox and one plow in one day. Today, the rule for converting the two major units from two different sources is

+ Table of area unitsUnitPêⁿKah Metric US & ImperialNotesTaiwanese HokkienHakkaMandarinCharacterExactApprox.ExactApprox. PêⁿIn Taiwanese Hokkien, is also pronounced pîⁿ, phêⁿ, phîⁿ, phiâⁿ, phêng depends on the accents. Phiàng Píng 1 m2 3.306 m2 sq yd 35.58 sq ftSame as Japanese Tsubo Bó͘ Méu Mǔ 30  m2 99.17 m2 sq yd 1,067 sq ftSame as Japanese Se Hun Fûn Fēn 293.4 m2 969.92 m2 — 10,440 sq ft Kah Kap Jiǎ 2,934 1 m2 0.9699 ha — 2.3967 acresDerived from Dutch Morgen Lê Lài Lí 14,670 5 m2 4.8496 ha — 11.984 acresUsed from Kingdom of Tungning

Officially, land area is measured in square metres.

Volume Volume measure in Taiwan is largely metric, with common units such as liter and milliliter (often abbreviated as "CC" for cubic centimeter).

Mass

Packaged goods in Taiwan largely use metric measurements but bulk foodstuffs sold in wet markets and supermarkets are typically measured with units derived from traditional Japanese units of mass, which are similar but not equivalent to corresponding Chinese units of mass. Imported goods from the US also retains its weight in ounces, although most such packages also lists the weight in grams.

+ Table of units of massUnitNiú Metric US & ImperialNotesTaiwanese HokkienHakkaMandarinCharacterLegalDecimalExactApprox. Lî Lî Lí   kg 37.5mg lb 0.5787grCash; Same as Japanese Rin Hun Fûn Fēn   kg 375mg lb 5.787grCandareen; Same as Japanese Fun Chîⁿ Chhièn Qián   kg 3.75g lb 2.116drMace; Same as Japanese Momme () Niú Liông Liǎng 1  kg 37.5g lb 21.16drTael Kin/Kun Kîn Jīn 16  kg 600g lb 1.323lbCatty; Same as Japanese Kin Tàⁿ Tâm Dàn 1600  60kg lb 132.3lbPicul; Same as Japanese Tan

Note the tael and catty are widely used.

See also Units, Systems, & History of measurement Chinese & Hong Kong units of measurement Japanese, Korean, Mongolian & Vietnamese units of measurement

Notes

References

External links Weights and Measures in Use in Taiwan