A ''pyeong'' (abbreviationpy) is a
Korean unit of
area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while ''surface area'' refers to the area of an open su ...
and
floorspace, equal to a square ''
kan'' or 36square
Korean feet. The ''ping'' and ''tsubo'' are its equivalent
Taiwanese and
Japanese units, similarly based on a square ''
bu'' (
ja:步) or ''
ken'', equivalent to 36square
Chinese or
Japanese feet.
''Pyeong''
In Korea, the period of
Japanese occupation produced a ''pyeong'' of or 3.3058m
2. It is the standard traditional measure for
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
floorspace, with an average
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...
reckoned as about 25''pyeong'', a
studio apartment
A studio apartment, also known as a studio flat ( UK), a self-contained apartment (Nigeria), efficiency apartment, bed-sitter (Kenya) or bachelor apartment, is a small apartment (rarely a condo) in which the normal functions of a number of ...
as 8–12py, and a
garret as 1½py. In
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, the unit has been officially banned since 1961 but with little effect prior to the criminalization of its commercial use effective 1 July 2007.
[.] Informal use continues, however, including in the form of real estate use of unusual fractions of meters equivalent to unit amounts of ''pyeong''. Real estate listings on major websites such as Daum show measurements in square meters with the ''pyeong'' equivalent.
''Ping''
In Taiwan, the
Taiwanese ''ping'' remains in fairly common use and is about 3.306m
2. In
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater Chin ...
, the
metrication of traditional units would produce a ''ping'' of 4m
2, but it is almost unknown, with most
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...
floorspace simply reckoned in square meters. The longer length of the
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
foot produces a larger ''ping'' of almost 5m
2, but it is similarly uncommon.
''Tsubo''
In Japan, the usual measure of real estate floorspace is the ''
tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for train ...
'' and the ''tsubo'' is reckoned as two ''tatami''. The ''tatami'' varies by region but the modern standard is usually taken to be the
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most p ...
''tatami'' of about 1.653m
2, producing a ''tsubo'' of 3.306m
2. It is sometimes reckoned as comprising 10
gō.
See also
*
Japanese units of measurement
Traditional Japanese units of measurement or the shakkanhō (, "''shaku–kan'' system") is the traditional system of measurement used by the people of the Japanese archipelago. It is largely based on the Chinese system, which spread to Japan a ...
*
Korean units of measurement
*
Taiwanese units of measurement
*
Chinese units of measurement
References
{{Reflist
Systems of units
Units of area
Korean culture