公斤
gōng jīn HSK 3

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

这个苹果一公斤。
Zhège píngguǒ yī gōngjīn.
This apple is one kilogram.
我买了三公斤米。
Wǒ mǎile sān gōngjīn mǐ.
I bought three kilograms of rice.
西瓜有五公斤。
Xīguā yǒu wǔ gōngjīn.
The watermelon is five kilograms.
这个西瓜五公斤。
Zhège xīguā wǔ gōngjīn.
This watermelon is five kilograms.
我买了三公斤米。
Wǒ mǎile sān gōngjīn mǐ.
I bought three kilograms of rice.

💡 Memory Tip

Break it down: 公 (gōng) sounds like 'kilo-' as a public standard, and 斤 (jīn) is the old Chinese 'catty'. So, 公斤 is the 'standardized catty' or kilogram. Think: 'A GONG weighs one KIN (kilo).'

📝 Usage Notes

公斤 is used in both formal and informal contexts, in both spoken and written Chinese. It is the standard term for 'kilogram' in all everyday situations, such as measuring body weight, food, or goods. In mainland China, it has completely replaced the traditional 斤 (which is now defined as 500 grams) for official and scientific purposes.

📖 Grammar Points

Used as a measure word for weight. Structure: Number + 公斤 + (的) + Noun (e.g., 三公斤苹果). It can also follow a noun with 是 to state weight (e.g., 体重是五十公斤).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In mainland China, the traditional 斤 was redefined to 500 grams to align with the metric system. When someone says 一斤, they mean 500 grams, not the historical weight which varied. 公斤 is the unambiguous term for a full kilogram.

🔄 Similar Words

斤 (jīn) is a traditional Chinese unit, now standardized to 0.5 kilograms. 千克 (qiānkè) is a formal/scientific synonym for 公斤, meaning exactly the same thing (kilo-gram). 公斤 is far more common in daily speech.

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