Convert Mal (말) to Liters (L)

How Mal relates to liters (1 mal = 18L)

The mal (말) is a large traditional volume unit equal to ten doe, or exactly 18L. To convert mal to liters, multiply the mal value by 18. For example, 2 mal = 36L and 0.5 mal = 9L (which is 5 doe). Since one mal is 10 doe, breaking it down gives 18L ÷ 1.8L = exactly 10 doe. In terms of common 1.8L bottles, one mal is precisely ten bottles' worth. For mal-to-liter conversion, just remember to multiply by 18.

When Koreans search for this

People use this when trading or storing grain in bulk, where amounts like 'one mal of rice' or 'two mal of barley' appear and the actual volume in liters is wanted. When brewing traditional liquor at scale, ratios like 'one mal of steamed rice to X mal of water' must be moved into modern measurements. It also comes up in large household tasks like kimjang or making jang, where old units need converting to liters. People searching to gauge how many liters a milling amount is when it's quoted in mal at the rice mill. The mal is the go-to unit for handling volumes larger than a doe.

Reference points and a caution

Easy anchors are 1 mal = 18L = 10 doe, and 5 mal = 90L. Picturing ten 1.8L bottles as one mal makes the volume easy to visualize. The caution is that mal is a volume unit — one mal of rice is 18L by volume but weighs about 16kg (ten times a doe's 1.6kg). Water at 18L weighs about 18kg, but rice is lighter for the same volume because of air gaps between the kernels. So when asking 'how many kg is X mal of rice,' apply the weight basis (about 16kg per mal), not the liter conversion, for accuracy.

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