In Thailand, the metric system is widely used for weights and measures. However, when it comes to land, traditional Thai units are still commonly employed. This can be confusing for those unfamiliar with these measurements. Whether you’re looking to purchase or rent a property with its own land or planning to build on a piece of land, it’s important to understand how much space you’ll be getting for your investment.
Let’s start with one of the smallest traditional Thai measurements: the wah. In Thai, “wa” means to outstretch one’s arms to both sides, with the distance between the fingertips measuring exactly 2 meters. The term “talang” or “tarang” means “squared” in Thai. Therefore, 1 Talang Wah is equivalent to 4 square meters. A hundred times larger is the “ngan,” which equals 100 Talang Wah or 400 square meters. The largest land measurement is the “rai,” where 1 rai amounts to 4 ngan, 400 Talang Wah, or 1600 square meters.
When it comes to written land sizes, you may come across the format X-X-X, corresponding to rai-ngan-talang wah. For example, if a plot is listed as 1-2-1, it means it consists of 1 rai, 2 ngan, and 1 Talang Wah. To calculate the total area in square meters, you would multiply each unit by its respective conversion factor: 1 rai (1600 square meters), 2 ngan (400 square meters each), and 1 Talang Wah (4 square meters). So, in this case, the total area would be 2404 sq
| Talang Wah | Ngan | Rai | Square Metres | Square Feet | Hectares | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ตารางวา | งาน | ไร่ | ตารางเมตร | ตารางฟุต | เฮกตาร์ | เอเคอร์ |
| 1 | 4 | 43 | ||||
| 100 | 1 | 0.25 | 400 | 4,305 | 0.04 | 0.1 |
| 400 | 4 | 1 | 1,600 | 17,222 | 0.16 | 0.4 |
| 800 | 8 | 2 | 3,200 | 34,444 | 0.32 | 0.8 |
| 1,200 | 12 | 3 | 4,800 | 51,667 | 0.48 | 1.2 |
| 1,600 | 16 | 4 | 6,400 | 68,888 | 0.64 | 1.6 |
| 2,000 | 20 | 5 | 8,000 | 86,111 | 0.8 | 2 |
| 2,400 | 24 | 6 | 9,600 | 103,333 | 0.96 | 2.4 |
| 2,800 | 28 | 7 | 11,200 | 120,555 | 1.12 | 2.8 |
| 3,200 | 32 | 8 | 12,800 | 137,777 | 1.28 | 3.2 |
| 3,600 | 36 | 9 | 14,400 | 155,000 | 1.44 | 3.6 |
| 4,000 | 40 | 10 | 16,000 | 172,222 | 1.6 | 4 |
| 80 | 20 | 32,000 | 3.2 | 8 | ||
| 120 | 30 | 48,000 | 4.8 | 12 | ||
| 160 | 40 | 64,000 | 6.4 | 16 | ||
| 200 | 50 | 80,000 | 8 | 20 | ||
| 240 | 60 | 96,000 | 9.6 | 24 | ||
| 280 | 70 | 112,000 | 11.2 | 28 | ||
| 320 | 80 | 128,000 | 12.8 | 32 | ||
| 360 | 90 | 144,000 | 14.4 | 36 | ||
| 400 | 100 | 160,000 | 16 | 40 |
