千克 qiānkè kilogram
How to remember 千克: 千 thousand + 克 gram = kilogram.
Characters
How it is used
- The formal/scientific word for kilogram, mostly seen on labels, in recipes, and technical writing.
- In everyday spoken Chinese people almost always say 公斤 gōngjīn instead - a learner who only knows 千克 will sound bookish in conversation.
- Bound to numbers, not used alone: 五千克 (wǔ qiānkè) - five kilograms.