Convert korean mal to liters easily.
1 mal x 18 = 18 L
Discover other related calculators
Ever stood in a Seoul market and heard vendors discuss rice quantities in "mal" while your recipe calls for liters? You’re not alone. This conversion bridges Korea’s measurement heritage with global standards, whether you’re cooking bibimbap for 50 or analyzing grain trade data. Let’s crack this nut together – no advanced math degree required.
Unit definitions
What is a korean mal (말)?
Description: A traditional Korean unit for dry goods like rice, beans, or charcoal.
Symbol: None officially, often written as "mal"
Common uses: Agriculture, historical recipes, folk proverbs
Definition: 1 mal equals 18 liters or about 4.755 U.S. dry gallons
What is a liter (L)?
Description: Standard metric unit for volume
Symbol: L
Common uses: Worldwide liquid/dry measurement, science, cooking
Definition: 1 liter = 1 cubic decimeter = 0.001 cubic meters
Conversion formula
Liters = mal × 18
Mal = liters ÷ 18
Example calculations
- Converting 2.5 mal to liters:
2.5 × 18 = 45 liters
(That’s enough rice to make 300 servings of sushi!) - Converting 50 liters to mal:
50 ÷ 18 ≈ 2.78 mal
(Roughly the amount needed for a small Korean wedding ceremony)
Conversion tables
Korean mal to liters
| Mal | Liters |
|---|---|
| 1 | 18 |
| 2 | 36 |
| 3 | 54 |
| 4 | 72 |
| 5 | 90 |
| 6 | 108 |
| 7 | 126 |
| 8 | 144 |
| 9 | 162 |
| 10 | 180 |
Liters to korean mal
| Liters | Mal |
|---|---|
| 18 | 1 |
| 36 | 2 |
| 54 | 3 |
| 72 | 4 |
| 90 | 5 |
| 108 | 6 |
| 126 | 7 |
| 144 | 8 |
| 162 | 9 |
| 180 | 10 |
Historical background
The mals origins trace back to Korea’s Joseon Dynasty (aprox. 1392–1897), where it served as teh primary measurement for taxing grain. Farmers would pay their dues in mal of rice or barley, making it crucial for both economics and survival. When Japan occupied Korea in 1910, they tried replacing traditional units with metric ones, but the mal stubbornly persisted. Today, you’ll still hear older Koreans say things like "three mal of rice" when discussing harvest yields, even as official documents use liters.
Interesting facts
- The word "mal" literally means "horse" in Korean – but nobody’s sure why it became a measurement term
- Traditional Korean liquor (makgeolli) was historically sold in mal quantities at markets
- 1 mal of rice weighs about 15 kg – useful for quick mental calculations
- In North Korea, the mal remains an official measurement unit alongside metric
- K-dramas often mention mal when depicting historical or rural settings
FAQ
While modern South Korea officially uses the metric system, mal remains in informal use for measuring agricultural products like rice or grains.
The 1 mal = 18 liters ratio is standardized, though historical measurements varied slightly by region.
Yes, but mal traditionally measured dry goods. For liquids like soy sauce or oil, liters are more common.
Seom (섬) is another traditional unit equal to 150 liters. One mal is 1/10th of a seom.
Liters are used in official contexts, while mal persists in cultural practices and older generations’ daily language.