Shaku (unit)
The shaku (尺) is a traditional unit of measure used throughout Asia with a length approximately equal to a foot. It is variously called shaku in Japanese, chi in Mandarin, and chek in Cantonese, and is written as "呎" in Hong Kong. As with other measurements, it was originally derived from nature: the average length between nodes on bamboo. The actual length varies slightly by country.
The shaku may be divided into ten smaller units (寸), known as either cun in Mandarin, sun in Japanese, or tsun in Cantonese. Ten shaku are equal to a jō in Japanese, a zhang in Mandarin, and a jeung in Cantonese, and is traditionally written as "丈".