kg
/ɡɡ/from spelling rules
kg is the Spanish abbreviation for kilogram, a unit of mass.
You may also encounter the spoken or informal term Kilo.
Which one should you use?
kg is the standard abbreviation, whereas Kilo is a more informal way to refer to the unit.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chile and some other South American countries, Quilo is used as an alternative to kilo.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɡ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid adding a period after the abbreviation, such as writing kg. In Spanish, symbols for SI units like kg do not take a period unless they appear at the very end of a sentence.
Did you know?
- Because kg is treated as a symbol rather than an abbreviation, it remains invariant in plural contexts. You do not add an 's' to the symbol to indicate multiple kilograms, unlike the word kilos.
- If you are buying produce, a vendor will almost always use kilo in a question like ¿Cuántos kilos le doy?, as kilogramo sounds overly clinical for a market.
- In Spanish, the symbol kg is strictly a mathematical symbol and not an abbreviation. This means that unlike many English abbreviations, it is grammatically incorrect to place a period after it, even if it is not at the end of a sentence.
Examples in context
- La palabra "kilogramo" es generalmente abreviada a "kg".The word ‘kilogram’ is usually abbreviated to ‘kg’.This example shows how the word ‘kilogramo’ is commonly abbreviated to kg.Tatoeba #7584330 by Eremon, translation #3593526 by b3nf4t
- Un hámster puede almacenar 5 kg de alimento en su madriguera.A hamster can store 5 kg of food in its burrow.This sentence uses kg to express a measurement of food weight.Tatoeba #12202331 by Adelpa, translation #12202647 by Miktsoanit
- El paquete pesa dos kilogramosThe package weighs two kilograms
- El equipaje no puede exceder los 23 kilosThe luggage cannot exceed 23 kilograms
- He comprado medio kilo de manzanasI bought half a kilogram of apples
- medio quiloHalf a kilo
- Necesito comprar exactamente 2 kg de harina.I need to buy exactly 2 kg of flour.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are at the supermarket checking a recipe.
- Javier¿Cuántos kg de azúcar necesitamos para el pastel?How many kg of sugar do we need for the cake?
- LucíaSolo necesitamos 1 kg, Javier.We only need 1 kg, Javier.
- JavierEstá bien, lo pondré en el carrito.Okay, I will put it in the cart.
- LucíaGracias, eres muy atento.Thanks, you are very attentive.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
