kg

Everyday

1. Kg is the short way to write kilogram, a unit for how heavy something is. 1 kg is 1000 grams. tree →
2. Kg is the same for one or many: 1 kg, 5 kg. tree →

In the lessons

In school maths: a unit of mass for fruit, flour, people, parcels; prices are often given per kg; changing kg to g (× 1000). In science: mass is measured in kilograms; a bag of sugar is about 1 kg. In everyday life: weighing fruit at the shop, luggage at the airport, your own weight. Phrases: «per kg», «a 2 kg bag», «kg and g».

Examples

• A bag of rice weighs 5 kg. tree →
• Apples cost 3 dollars per kg. tree →
• The box weighs 12 kg and the lid 1 kg. tree →
• 2 kg = 2000 g. tree →
• A bag of sugar is about 1 kg. tree →
• My suitcase weighs 20 kg. tree →
• Half a kilogram is 500 g, written 0.5 kg. tree →
• The baby weighed 3 kg when she was born. tree →

Note

Write «kg» with no s and no full stop: «5 kg», not «5 kgs». Say «kilograms». In the USA people often use pounds instead (1 kg is about 2.2 pounds). Maths: a unit, not a thing counted: only add kg to kg. Trap: mixing kg and g; change 1 kg to 1000 g before adding.