斤(jīn) - jin (traditional Chinese unit of weight, 0.5kg) in Mandarin

斤 (jīn) is the traditional Chinese unit of weight still used at markets and in kitchens today: one 斤 (jīn) is 500 grams, exactly half a kilogram, which makes it easy to convert once you remember the number. It behaves as a measure word, sitting straight after the number and before the noun: 两斤苹果 (liǎng jīn píngguǒ), "two jin of apples", with no 的 (de) or extra particle needed.

You will hear 斤 (jīn) far more than the metric 公斤 (gōng jīn, "kilogram") at a Chinese market stall or butcher's counter, even though metric units are what appear on packaging and in science classes. It divides into ten 两 (liǎng), each 50 grams, a leftover of the old imperial-style system that still shapes how prices are quoted for fruit, vegetables and meat.

Watch the difference between 斤 (jīn) and 公斤 (gōng jīn): they are not interchangeable, despite looking related. 一公斤 (yī gōng jīn) is a full kilogram, twice the weight of 一斤 (yī jīn).