mg

Everyday

1. mg is short for milligram, a very small unit of mass: there are 1,000 mg in 1 gram. tree →
2. MG (capitals) is also a British car brand. tree →

In the lessons

In maths and science lessons, mg appears in measurement and conversion: 1 g = 1,000 mg, 1 kg = 1,000,000 mg. On food and medicine labels, mg tells you how much of a vitamin, salt or medicine is in a dose; safety: only adults should give medicine, and never take more than the label says. Phrases: «500 mg tablet», «mg per day», «convert g to mg».

Examples

• This vitamin tablet has 200 mg of vitamin C. tree →
• 1 gram is the same as 1,000 mg. tree →
• Convert 3 g into milligrams: 3,000 mg. tree →
• The label says 5 mg of salt per biscuit. tree →
• A grain of rice weighs about 20 mg. tree →
• The doctor said to take one 250 mg tablet twice a day. tree →

Note

Write it in small letters with no full stop: «mg»; the plural is also «mg» (5 mg, not 5 mgs). Read it as «milligrams». Maths: to change mg into grams, divide by 1,000; grams to mg, multiply by 1,000. Do not confuse mg (milligram) with ml (millilitre, volume) or kg (kilogram).