can anyone translate this and tell me what kind of measurement it is?

I know its a measurment and I kind of found out that 4 หุน converts to 1/2" but what kind of measurement is this??

some sort of old Thai?

This is what I found, but no idea where it comes from. My Handy man uses that measurement all the time (and he is not that old yet )

1 หุน = 1/8"

1.5 หุน = 3/16"

2 หุน = 1/4"

2.5 หุน = 5/16"

3 หุน = 3/8"

3.5 หุน = 7/16"

4 หุน = 1/2"

4.5 หุน = 9/16"

5 หุน = 5/8"

5.5 หุน = 11/16"

6 หุน = 3/4"

6.5 หุน = 13/16"

7 หุน = 7/8"

7.5 หุน = 15/16"

8 หุน = 1"

Edited May 25, 201214 yr by MJCM

yes found that conversion table as well but am more interested on what kind of measurement it is?

It's 1/8 of an inch. Is this the kind of answer you are looking for?

no where it originated and what it is used for as it not used as a regular measurement

Looking in a few dictionaries, in addition to being a unit of length equal to 1/8", it's apparently also a unit of weight used by jewellers equal to ca 375mg and is of Chinese origin.

As a unit of length, found one Thai website stating it's used to measure the diameters of pipes less than 1".

Think it can be used for nail lengths too

eg

ขอซื้อตะปู 2 หุนสักขีด

PS if you look on an English ruler, you'll often find the inches are divided into 8 sections. I guess we just don't have a name for it.

Edited May 25, 201214 yr by katana

I only know that it is commonly used to measure the diameter of an object. Pipes are all sold in various หุน sizes. Less commonly it is used to measure weight based on a Chinese system. But why หุน, I have no idea.

It's also a measurement used for the thickness of glass. Like thickness of window panels or the glass used on fish tanks.