Shao (unit)

A shao (Chinese: 勺; pinyin: sháo) in China, shaku in Japan and jak in Korea, is a unit of volume measurement in East Asia.[1] One shao equals 1⁄100 sheng. It is 10 mL (millilitres) in China,[2][3] 18.04 mL in Japan[4] and 18 mL in Korea.[5] Shao' is also a unit of area equal to 0.033 square meters (a hundredth of a tsubo) in Japan and Korea.[6]

The Chinese word shao (勺) means a spoon, or an amount held by a spoon. [1]

China

Volume units effective since 1930 in China[2][7]

Pinyin	Character	Relative value	Metric value	US value	Imperial value	Notes
cuō	撮	1⁄1000	1 mL	0.0338 fl oz	0.0352 fl oz	millilitre
sháo	勺	1⁄100	10 mL	0.3381 fl oz	0.3520 fl oz	centilitre
gě	合	1⁄10	100 mL	3.381 fl oz	3.520 fl oz	decilitre
shēng	市升	1	1 L	2.113 pt	1.760 pt	litre
dǒu	市斗	10	10 L	21.13 pt 2.64 gal	17.60 pt 2.20 gal	decalitre
dàn	市石	100	100 L	26.41 gal	22.0 gal	hectolitre

Japan

Volume

Volume units in Japan [4] [8]

Unit		Shō	Metric		US		Imperial
Romanized	Kanji		Exact	Approx.	Exact	Approx.	Exact	Approx.
Sai	才	1⁄1000	⁠2401/1,331,000⁠ L	1.804 mL	⁠37,515,625/15,900,351,812,136⁠ cu yd	29.28 min	⁠240,100/605,084,579⁠ gal	30.47 min
						0.1101 cu in
Shaku	勺	1⁄100	⁠2401/133,100⁠ L	18.04 mL	⁠187,578,125/7,950,175,906,068⁠ cu yd	0.6100 fl oz	⁠2,401,000/605,084,579⁠ gal	0.6349 fl oz
						1.101 cu in
Gō	合	1⁄10	⁠2401/13,310⁠ L	180.4 mL	⁠937,890,625/3,975,087,953,034⁠ cu yd	0.3812 pt	⁠24,010,000/605,084,579⁠ gal	0.3174 pt
						0.3276 dry pt
Shō	升	1	⁠2401/1331⁠ L	1.804 L	⁠4,689,453,125/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd	1.906 qt	⁠240,100,000/605,084,579⁠ gal	1.587 qt
						1.638 dry qt
To	斗	10	⁠24,010/1331⁠ L	18.04 L	⁠46,894,531,250/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd	4.765 gal	⁠2,401,000,000/605,084,579⁠ gal	3.968 gal
						2.048 pk
Koku	石	100	⁠240,100/1331⁠ L	180.4 L	⁠468,945,312,500/1,987,543,976,517⁠ cu yd	47.65 gal	⁠24,010,000,000/605,084,579⁠ gal	39.680 gal
						5.119 bu
Notes: Approximations are rounded to four significant figures.

Area

Shao' is also a unit of area equal to 0.033 square meters (a hundredth of a tsubo) in Japan.[9]

Area units in Japan [4]

Unit		Tsubo	Metric		US & Imperial
Romanized	Kanji		Exact	Approx.	Exact	Approx.
Shaku	勺	1⁄100	⁠4/121⁠ m^2	330.6 cm^2	⁠6,250,000/158,080,329⁠ sq yd	51.24 sq in
Gō	合	1⁄10	⁠40/121⁠ m^2	0.3306 m^2	⁠62,500,000/158,080,329⁠ sq yd	3.558 sq ft
Jō	畳 or 帖	1⁄2	⁠200/121⁠ m^2	1.653 m^2	⁠312,500,000/158,080,329⁠ sq yd	17.79 sq ft
Tsubo	坪	1	⁠400/121⁠ m^2	3.306 m^2	⁠625,000,000/158,080,329⁠ sq yd	35.58 sq ft
Bu	歩
Se	畝	30	⁠12,000/121⁠ m^2	99.17 m^2	⁠6,250,000,000/52,693,443⁠ sq yd	1,067 sq ft
Tan	段 or 反	300	⁠120,000/121⁠ m^2	991.7 m^2	⁠62,500,000,000/52,693,443⁠ sq yd	10,674.6 sq ft
Chō(bu)[a]	町(歩)	3000	⁠1,200,000/121⁠ m^2	0.9917 ha	⁠625,000,000,000/52,693,443⁠ sq yd	2.4505 acres
Notes: Approximations are rounded to four significant figures.

Korea

Volume units in Korea[10] [11]

Romanization			Korean	English	Equivalents
RR	MR[12]	Other			Doe[13]	Other countries	Global
Jak	Chak		작(勺)		1⁄100		18 mL (0.63 imp fl oz; 0.61 US fl oz)
Hop	Hop		홉		1⁄10	Ge	180 mL (6.3 imp fl oz; 6.1 US fl oz)[b][13]
Doe	Toe	Doi[13] Dwe[5]	되	Korean Peck[14]	1		1.8 L (0.40 imp gal; 0.48 US gal)[c][13]
Seung	Sŭng		승(升)
Mal	Mal		말	Korean Bushel	10		18 L (4.0 imp gal; 4.8 US gal)[d][13]
Du	Tu		두(斗)
Seom	Sŏm		섬	Korean Picul[15]	100	Picul	180 L (40 imp gal; 48 US gal)[e][13]
Seok	Sŏk	Suk[13]	석(石)
Jeom	Chŏm		점(苫)
Sogok	Sogok		소곡(小斛)		150		270 L (59 imp gal; 71 US gal)
Pyeongseok	P'yŏngsŏk		평석(平石)
Daegok	Taegok		대곡(大斛)		200		360 L (79 imp gal; 95 US gal)
Jeonseok	Chŏnsŏk		전석(全石)

The Korean Jak (勺) can also be a unit of area, equaling 0.0330579 m2 (0.355832 sq ft.) [5]

For more details on volume measurement, please see Sheng (volume)

See also

• Chinese units of measurement
• Japanese units of measurement
• Korean units of measurement
• zh:中國度量衡

Notes

1. Chōbu is used rather than chō when no fraction follows.^[citation needed]
2. The variant figures in Fessley [12] and the UN[13] reports are based on the imperial measuring system.
3. imp
4. imp
5. imp

References

1. "勺". 3 June 2024.
2. "The Weights and Measures Act (1929)" (in Chinese). Legislative Yuan. Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
3. Language Institute, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2016). 现代汉语词典 (附錄：計量單位表) [Contemporary Chinese Dictionary (Appendix: Measure units)] (in Chinese) (7th ed.). Beijing: Commercial Press. pp. 1786–1793. ISBN 978-7-100-12450-8.
4. Iwata, Shigeo. "Weights and Measures in Japan"
5. Kim (2007).
6. "勺". 3 June 2024.
7. Language Institute 2016, p. 1165.
8. World Weights and Measures: Handbook for Statisticians, ST/STAT/SER. M/21, UN Publication No. 1955.XVII.2, New York, NY: Statistical Office of the United Nations, 1955
9. "勺". 3 June 2024.
10. Kim, Jun Hee (March 2007), "Taking Measure", Invest Korea Journal, vol. 25, Seoul: Korea Trade–Investment Promotion Agency
11. Fessley, Susanna (2009), "Weights and Measures in East Asian Studies" (PDF), Albany: State University of New York
12. Fessley (2009), p. 9.
13. UN (1955), III-59.
14. NIKH (2017).
15. "Glossary of Korean History", Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Seoul: National Institute of Korean History, 2017

External links

• https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/勺
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/zht/詞典/漢語-繁體-英語/公勺?q=勺