SI Units

国际单位制单位    guójì dānwèizhì dānwèi

國際單位制單位    guójì dānwèizhì dānwèi

In English [en]		Symbol 符号 fúhào 代號 dàihào	Names used in People's Republic of China		Names used in Taiwan
			简体中文(中华人民共和国)(zh-CN)		繁體中文(台灣)(zh-TW)
			Jiǎntǐ Zhōngwén (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó)		Fántǐ Zhōngwén (Táiwān)
Quantity	Name		量	名称	量	名稱
			liàng	míngchēng	liàng	míngchēng
SI Base Units			基本单位		基本單位
			jīběndānwèi		jīběndānwèi
length	meter	m	长度	米	長度	公尺 note 6
			chángdù	mǐ	chángdù	gōngchǐ
mass	kilogram	kg	质量	千克(公斤) note 2	重(質)量	公斤 note 6
			zhìliàng	qīankè(gōngjīn)	zhòng(zhí)lìang	gōngjīn
time	second	s	时间	秒	時間	秒
			shíjīan	miǎo	shíjīan	miǎo
electrical current	ampere	A	电流	安<培> note 2	電流	安培
			diànliú	ān<péi>	diànliú	ānpéi
thermodynamic temperature	kelvin	K	热力学温度	开<尔文>	熱力學溫度	克耳文
			rèlìxué wēndù	kāi<ěrwén>	rèlìxué wēndù	kèěrwén
amount of substance	mole	mol	物质的量	摩<尔>	物質量	莫耳
			wùzhìdeliàng	mó<ěr>	wùzhíliàng	mòěr
luminous intensity	candela	cd	发光强度	坎<德拉>	光强度	燭光
			fāguāngqiángdù	kǎn<délā>	guāngqiángdù	zhúguāng
Examples of SI derived units in terms of base units			以基本单位表示的导出单位举例		以基本單位表示之導出單位舉例
			yǐjīběndānwèi biǎoshìde dǎochūdānwèi jǔlì		yǐjīběndānwèi biǎoshìzhī dǎochūdānwèi jǔlì
area	square meter	m2	面积	平方米	面積	平方公尺
			miànjī	píngfāngmǐ	miànjī	píngfānggōngchǐ
volume, capacity	cubic meter	m3	体积	立方米	體積	立方公尺
			tǐjī	lìfāngmǐ	tǐjī	lìfānggōngchǐ
speed, velocity	meter per second	m/s	速度	米每秒	速度	公尺每秒
			sùdù	mǐměimiǎo	sùdù	gōngchǐměimiǎo
acceleration	meter per second squared	m/s2	加速度	米每秒平方	加速度	公尺每秒秒
			jiāsùdù	mǐměimiǎo píngfāng	jiāsùdù	gōngchǐměimiǎomiǎo
density, mass density	kilogram per cubic meter	kg/m3	密度, 质量密度	千克(公斤)每立方米	密度, 質量密度	公斤每立方公尺
			mìdù, zhìliàng mìdù	qīankè(gōngjīn) měilìfāngmǐ	mìdù, zhílìang mìdù	gōngjīn měilìfānggōngchǐ
SI derived units with special names			具有专门名称的导出单位		具有特定名稱的導出單位
			jùyǒu zhuānmén míngchēngde dǎochūdānwèi		jùyǒu tèdìng míngchēngde dǎochūdānwèi
plane angle	radian	rad	平面角	弧度	平面角	弳
			píngmiànjiǎo	húdù	píngmiànjiǎo	(unknown yet)
solid angle	steradian	sr	立体角	球面度	立體角	立弳
			lìtǐjiǎo	qiúmiàndù	lìtǐjiǎo	(unknown yet)
frequency	hertz	Hz	频率	赫<兹>	頻率	赫
			pínglǜ	hè<zī>	pínglǜ	hè
force	newton	N	力; 重力	牛<顿>	力	牛頓
			lì; zhònglì	niú<dùn>	lì	niúdùn
pressure, stress	pascal	Pa	压力, 压强; 应力	帕<斯卡>	壓力, 應力	帕斯卡
			yālì, yāqiáng; yìnglì	pà<sīkǎ>	yālì; yìnglì	pàsīkǎ
energy, work, quantity of heat	joule	J	能量; 功; 热	焦<耳>	能, 功, 熱量	焦耳
			néngliàng; gōng; rè	jiāo<ěr>	néng; gōng; rèliàng	jiāoěr
power, radiant flux	watt	W	功率; 辐射通量	瓦<特>	功率, 輻射通量	瓦特
			gōnglǜ; fúshètōngliàng	wǎ<tè>	gōnglǜ; fúshètōngliàng	wǎtè
electric charge, quantity of electricity	coulomb	C	电荷量	库<仑>	電量	庫侖
			diànhèliàng	kù<lún>	diànliàng	kùlún
electric potential difference, electromotive force	volt	V	电位; 电压; 电动势	伏<特>	電位, 電位差(俗稱電壓), 電動勢	伏特
			diànwèi; diànyā; diàndòngshì	fú<tè>	diànwèi; diànwèichā(diànyā); diàndòngshì	fútè
capacitance	farad	F	电容	法<拉>	電容	法拉
			diànróng	fǎ<lā>	diànróng	fǎlā
electric resistance	ohm		电阻	欧<姆>	電阻	歐姆
			diànzǔ	ōu<mǔ>	diànzǔ	ōumǔ
electric conductance	siemens	S	电导	西<门子>	電導	西門
			diàndǎo	xī<ménzǐ>	diàndǎo	xīmén
magnetic flux	weber	Wb	磁通量	韦<伯>	磁通量	韋伯
			cítōngliàng	wéi<bó>	cítōngliàng	wéibó
magnetic flux density	tesla	T	磁通量密度, 磁感应强度	特<斯拉>	磁通量密度	特士拉
			cítōngliàngmìdù, cígǎnyìngqiángdù	tè<sīlā>	cítōngliàngmìdù	tèshìl
inductance	henry	H	电感	亨<利>	電感	亨利
			diàngǎn	hēng<lì>	diàngǎn	hēnglì
Celsius temperature	degree Celsius	oC	摄氏温度	摄氏度	攝氏溫度	攝度
			shèshìwēndù	shèshìdù	shèshìwēndù	shèdù
luminous flux	lumen	lm	光通量	流<明>	光通量	流明
			guāngtōngliàng	liú<míng>	guāngtōngliàng	liúmíng
illuminance	lux	lx	光照度	勒<克斯>	照度	勒克司
			guāngzhàodù	lè<kèsī>	zhàodù	lèkèsī
activity (referred to a radionuclide)	becquerel	Bq	放射性活度	贝可<勒尔>	放射度	貝克勒
			fàngshèxìnghuódù	bèikě<lèěr>	fàngshèdù	bèikèlè
absorbed dose, specific energy (imparted), kerma	gray	Gy	吸收剂量	戈<瑞>	吸收劑量	格列
			xīshōujìliàng	gē<ruì>	xīshōujìliàng	géliè
dose equivalent, ambient dose equivalent, directional dose equivalent, personal dose equivalent, sorgan equivalent dose	sievert	Sv	剂量当量	希<沃特>	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)
			jìliàngdāngliàng	xī<wòtè>	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)
catalytic activity	katal	kat	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)
			(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)	(unknown yet)

Translation tips:

cubic = 立方, e.g., cubic meter = m³ = 立方米(zh-CN) = 立方公尺(zh-TW)

Ratios: per = 每, e.g., meter per second = m/s = 米每秒(zh-CN) = 公尺每秒(zh-TW)

The names for multiplied units are joined together: e.g., newton meter = N m = 牛<顿>米(zh-CN) = 牛頓公尺(zh-TW)
 

note 1: All PinYin transliterations are given in Mandarin and not in local dialects.

note 2: Without ambiguity, words in angle brackets < > may be omitted. Parentheses ( ) enclose comments.

note 3: Adopted by the P.R. of China, but not an internationally accepted symbol.

note 4: Adopted by the P.R. of China & Taiwan, but not an internationally accepted symbol.

note 5: The hectare was a non-legal unit as of 1984-02-27 but it has been seen frequently in Chinese literature such as the People's Daily, the newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. Therefore it may have been adopted as legal, but this is not known for certain.

note 6: In Taiwan, there are units of length, volume, and mass which have specific names starting with the word 公gōng, which means "common". Included are factors (usually 10^-3 to 10³) of the meter, the liter, and the gram which cannot be formed simply by attaching prefixes to these 3 units. They were all adopted on 1928-07-18 by the government of the Republic of China, which retreated in 1949 to, and now rules, Taiwan. Except 公斤(kg), 公里(km), they have been abrogated by the P.R. of China, but they are still official names in Taiwan. Yet parallel names used in the P.R. of China co-exist in Taiwan as well and they appear to be easier and more logical. The following table lists commonly used factors of the meter, the liter, and the kilogram:
 

Sources:

Units of Weights & Measures, Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Taiwan, 1985-03-07 (encoded in Big5)

Other references:

For intrepretation of the PinYin, you may wish to refer to the PinYin Romanization page and the page on tones to which it links; both are provided by Qi-Journal.

Contributors:

copyright 1999-2010 All Rights Reserved.   James R. Frysinger, Metric Methods
"Metric Methods" and the ruler graphic are service marks; all rights reserved.
Materials may be freely copied and distributed subject to the inclusion of the copyright notice and our Web site address.