Thai units of measurement
Encyclopedia
Before metrication
, the traditional system of measurement used in Thailand
employed anthropic units
. Some of these units are still in use, albeit standardised to SI/metric measurements. The square wa, ngan and rai are still used in measurements of land area, and the baht is still used as a unit of measurement in gold trading. However, one baht of 96.5% gold bullion is defined as 15.16 grams rather than the generic standard of 15 grams. The baht has also become the name of the currency of Thailand
, which was originally fixed to the corresponding mass of silver.
Metrication
Metrication refers to the introduction and use of the SI metric system, the international standard for physical measurements. This has involved a long process of independent and systematic conversions of countries from various local systems of weights and measures. Metrication began in France in...
, the traditional system of measurement used in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
employed anthropic units
Anthropic units
Anthropic units are units of measurement which explicitly arose from human physiology or behavior. Some were derived directly from the dimensions of the human body, and as such, are commonly referred to as anthropomorphic...
. Some of these units are still in use, albeit standardised to SI/metric measurements. The square wa, ngan and rai are still used in measurements of land area, and the baht is still used as a unit of measurement in gold trading. However, one baht of 96.5% gold bullion is defined as 15.16 grams rather than the generic standard of 15 grams. The baht has also become the name of the currency of Thailand
Thai baht
The baht is the currency of Thailand. It is subdivided into 100 satang . The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand.-History:The baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass...
, which was originally fixed to the corresponding mass of silver.
| Unit | Thai spelling | Pronunciation (IPA) | Meaning equivalent | Relative equivalent | Metric equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length | |||||
| Krabiat | กระเบียด | krà.bìat | 25/48 cm | ||
| Nio | นิ้ว | [níw] | Digit Digit (unit) The digit or finger is an ancient and obsolete non-SI unit of measurement of length. It was originally based on the breadth of a human finger... /Finger Finger (unit) A finger , is usually seven eighths of an inch or 2.2225 cm . The width of an adult human male finger tip is indeed about two centimetres. The inch, on the other hand, originates in the breadth of a thumb. In English this unit has mostly fallen out of use.... |
4 krabiat | 25/12 cm |
| Khuep | คืบ | [kʰɯ̂ːp] | Span Span (unit) A span is the distance measured by a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger. In ancient times, a span was considered to be half a cubit... |
12 nio | 25 cm |
| Sok | ศอก | [sɔ̀ːk] | Cubit Cubit The cubit is a traditional unit of length, based on the length of the forearm. Cubits of various lengths were employed in many parts of the world in Antiquity, in the Middle Ages and into Early Modern Times.... |
2 khuep | 50 cm |
| Wa | วา | [wāː] | Fathom Fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom... (outstretched arms) |
4 sok | 2 m |
| Sen | เส้น | [sên] | 20 wa | 40 m | |
| Yot | โยชน์ | [jôːt] | 400 sen | 1.6 km | |
| Area | |||||
| Tarang wa | ตารางวา | [tāː.rāːŋ wāː] | Square wa | 4 m2 | |
| Ngan | งาน | [ŋāːn] | 100 tarang wa | 400 m2 | |
| Rai | ไร่ | [râj] | 4 ngan | 1,600 m2 (1.6 a) | |
| Volume | |||||
| Yip mue | หยิบมือ | [jìp mɯ̄ː] | Pinch | 7.8125 ml | |
| Kam mue | กำมือ | [kām mɯ̄ː] | Grain held in an enclosed hand | 4 yip mue | 31.25 ml |
| Fai mue | ฟายมือ | [fāːj mɯ̄ː] | Grain held in the palm | 4 kam mue | 125 ml |
| Thanan | ทะนาน | [tʰa.nāːn] | 8 fai mue | 1 l | |
| Thang | ถัง | [tʰǎŋ] | Bucket | 20 thanan | 20 l |
| Kwian | เกวียน | [kwīːan] | Cartload | 100 thang | 2,000 l |
| Weight/mass | |||||
| Salueng | สลึง | [sa.lɯ̌ŋ] | 3.75 g | ||
| Baht | บาท | [bàːt] | 4 salueng | 15 g | |
| Tamlueng | ตำลึง | [tām.lɯ̄ŋ] | Tael Tael Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency.... |
4 baht | 60 g |
| Chang | ชั่ง | [tɕʰâŋ] | Catty Catty The catty , symbol 斤, is a traditional Chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, notably for weighing food and other groceries in some wet markets, street markets, and shops. Related units include the picul, equal to 100 catties, and the tael, which is of a catty. A stone is a... |
20 tamlueng | 1,200 g |
| Hap | หาบ | [hàːp] | Picul | 50 chang | 60 kg |