1.
gō; traditional unit of volume (≈180 ml)
A traditional Japanese unit of volume, approximately 180 milliliters. Most commonly used for measuring uncooked rice when cooking and for serving sake. Ten 合 make one 升.
米を二合炊いた。
I cooked two gō of rice.
今晩は日本酒を一合飲んだ。
I drank one gō of sake tonight.
家族四人分なら三合炊けば足りる。
Three gō of rice is enough for a family of four.
2.
tenth of the way up a mountain (counter for mountain-climbing stages)
A counter dividing a mountain's height into ten stages from base to summit. Famously used for Mt. Fuji, where stations are labeled 一合目 through 十合目 (the summit).
富士山の五合目まで車で上がった。
I drove up to the fifth station of Mt. Fuji.
八合目を過ぎると空気が薄くなってきた。
Past the eighth station, the air started getting thin.
山小屋は七合目と八合目の間にある。
The mountain hut is between the seventh and eighth stations.
Part of the traditional Japanese measurement system (尺貫法). One 合 ≈ 180 ml; one cup of uncooked rice is roughly one 合, the standard amount measured by rice cookers.
VOLUME HIERARCHY:
- 1 合 ≈ 180 ml
- 10 合 = 1 升 ≈ 1.8 L
- 10 升 = 1 斗 ≈ 18 L
COUNTING:
- 一合, 二合, 三合, 四合, 五合
MOUNTAIN STATIONS:
The sense-2 usage with 目 (一合目 etc.) divides mountain ascent into ten roughly equal sections. The 五合目 of Mt. Fuji is the standard starting point for most modern climbers.
MODERN USE:
Sense 1 is still everyday vocabulary because rice is sold and cooked by the 合, even though most other foods use metric measures. Sake is also commonly served by the 合 at traditional restaurants.