Convert Chi (치) to Centimeters (cm)
Convert chi (also spelled chon) to centimeters. One chi equals 3.03cm, one-tenth of a ja.
- Millimeter (mm)30.3
- Centimeter (cm)3.03
- Meter (m)0.0303
- Kilometer (km)0.00003
- Inch (in)1.192913
- Foot (ft)0.099409
- Yard (yd)0.033136
- Mile (mi)0.000019
- Ja/Chuk (자)0.1
- Chi/Chon (치)1
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The exact chi-to-centimeter relationship
One chi (chon), a traditional Korean length unit, equals 3.03cm, which is one-tenth of one ja (30.3cm). To convert chi to centimeters, multiply the number of chi by 3.03. For example, 2 chi is 2×3.03=6.06cm, 5 chi is 15.15cm, and 10 chi is 30.3cm, equal to one ja. Half a chi is about 1.515cm. Being smaller than ja, chi is handy for measuring small dimensions of hands, clothing, or fine lengths of wood. A single multiplication converts it to cm exactly.
When Koreans search for chi
Chi often appears when hanbok or body measurements are stated the old way. For instance, you convert a sock, shoe, or sleeve length given in chi into cm to understand it. In traditional woodworking, the thickness or width of joinery parts written in chi is converted to cm for a modern tape. It also helps with fine dimensions of hanok windows or furniture recorded in ja and chi. When elders estimate things like finger-joint lengths in chi, people look up the real cm.
Reference points and a caveat
The anchors are 1 chi=3.03cm and 10 chi=1 ja=30.3cm. Note that people often round one chi to about 3cm in everyday speech. It is exactly 3.03cm, so the gap from a 3cm estimate widens as the chi count grows. For example, treating 10 chi as 30cm differs from the real 30.3cm by 0.3cm. Also, cheok and chon in old texts varied by era and may differ from the modern gokcheok. Based on the modern standard, chi times 3.03 is exact.
Frequently asked questions
How many cm is 1 chi?
One chi is 3.03cm.
How many ja is 1 chi?
One chi is 0.1 ja, one-tenth of a ja.
How many cm is 5 chi?
5×3.03=15.15cm.