How Many mL Is 1 Gō? The Japanese Rice and Sake Unit, Measuring Cups and Tablespoons

1 gō is about 180.39 mL: the definition and how to remember it

The gō is a volume unit from Japan’s traditional shakkanhō system. Japan’s Measurement Act defines 1 shō as 2401/1331 L, and 1 gō is a tenth of that, so 1 gō = 2401/13310 L, or about 180.39 mL as a decimal. In practice it is fine to treat it as 180 mL.

• 1 gō = about 180.39 mL (180 mL for practical purposes)
• The cup that comes with a rice cooker = 180 mL, almost exactly 1 gō.
• A Japanese kitchen measuring cup = 200 mL. That is 20 mL more than 1 gō, so using it as is means too much.
• 1 gō = 12 tablespoons (180 mL ÷ 15 mL). Measuring spoons work as a substitute too.

Grams of rice per gō, cooked yield and water

With rice, you measure by volume (180 mL) even though what you usually want to know is the weight or the amount of cooked rice. Here are typical figures.

The usual way to add water is to follow the lines in the rice cooker bowl. When you cannot use them, the guideline is about 200 mL of water per gō of white rice (about 1.3 times the rice weight). Adjust by 10 to 20 mL to taste: a little less for new-crop rice, a little more for wash-free rice because it has no bran left on the surface. Water amounts for a clay pot, saucepan or pressure cooker, and for brown rice, glutinous rice and sushi rice, are collected in the rice-to-water ratio chart.

The shō, to and koku, the isshōbin bottle and the 1-gō tokkuri

The units above the gō go up by a factor of 10 each time. The numbers that come up with sake and rice cakes follow the same sequence.

An isshōbin holds 1.8 L because 1 shō is about 1.8 L, and the 720 mL yongōbin is two fifths of a shō. Isshō mochi means “rice cakes made from one shō of rice” and weighs about 1.8 kg. A “gō” in a bar or restaurant is basically 180 mL, but tokkuri sizes vary from place to place, so check the mL on the menu if the amount matters to you.

Converting tablespoons, teaspoons and cups

The measuring tools used in Japanese recipes have fixed volumes. Once you know these three, going back and forth with mL is easy.

• 1 teaspoon = 5 mL
• 1 tablespoon = 15 mL = 3 teaspoons
• 1 cup = 200 mL = 13 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon
• 1 cc = 1 mL, the same amount in cooking and in medicine.

Recipes from other countries use slightly different numbers. A US cup is about 237 mL, 37 mL more than a Japanese cup, a US teaspoon is about 4.93 mL and a US tablespoon about 14.79 mL. For small amounts Japanese measuring spoons are a fine substitute, but with flour or stock measured in cups the difference adds up, so it is safer to convert to mL before measuring.

As the table shows, the weight of one tablespoon depends on the ingredient. Volume (mL) and weight (g) are different units, so if a recipe gives grams, a scale is the reliable choice. These values can be off by a few grams depending on the product and how tightly it is packed.

Converting gō, mL and cups all at once

When gō, shō, and Japanese and foreign cups get mixed up, mental arithmetic leads to mistakes. The volume category of the unit converter has all of them in one place.

1. 1

   Choose “Volume”

   It starts on gō → mL. Swap them to get mL → gō straight away.

2. 2

   Enter a number

   It shows mL, L, tablespoons, teaspoons, cups (200 mL), rice cups (180 mL), US cups, gō, shō, to, koku, fluid ounces, pints and gallons all at once.

3. 3

   Check the amount in the quick-reference table

   You can copy the table listing 0.5 gō, 1 gō, 2 gō and so on into a shopping list or the margin of a recipe.

4. 4

   Switch category if you need weight

   g, kg, ounces and pounds are in the “Weight” category. How to read pounds and ounces on foreign labels is covered in Converting pounds and kg.

Among the same traditional units, the tsubo and the tatami for area are still in everyday use; they are covered in Converting tsubo and square metres. How much alcohol is in one gō of sake or a yongōbin is calculated in Pure alcohol in one gō of sake and sensible limits. Units on foreign labels that cause confusion, such as kcal and kJ on calorie labels, can be converted in the same tool.

FAQ

How many mL is 1 gō?

1 gō is about 180.39 mL. Japan’s Measurement Act defines 1 shō as 2401/1331 L, and 1 gō is a tenth of that. In daily life it is fine to treat it as 180 mL. The cup that comes with a rice cooker is exactly 180 mL, so one level rice cooker cup is 1 gō. Just note that a kitchen measuring cup is 200 mL, 20 mL more.

How many grams is 1 gō of rice, and how many people does it serve?

One gō of white rice weighs about 150 g and absorbs water to become about 330 g of cooked rice. With a bowl of about 150 g that is just over 2 bowls, enough for 1 to 2 adults. Three gō is about 450 g of rice and about 990 g cooked, around 6 bowls. If you also need packed lunches, allowing 1 gō per person gives some room. The weight of rice can vary by almost 10 g depending on how you measure, so always level the cup.

Can I measure 1 gō with a 200 mL measuring cup?

Yes. Fill a 200 mL cup to the 180 mL line and you have 1 gō. If the markings are coarse, fill to 100 mL and add 5 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon (80 mL). Filling the cup all the way to 200 mL gives about 1.11 gō, so what you meant to be 3 gō becomes 3.3 gō and the water no longer matches. Always check the line.

How many litres is 1 shō?

1 shō is 10 gō, about 1.804 L. That is why an isshōbin bottle holds 1.8 L, and the 720 mL yongōbin is two fifths of a shō. Above that come 1 to = 10 shō = about 18 L (an ittokan can) and 1 koku = 10 to = about 180 L. For rice, 1 shō is about 1.5 kg, and isshō mochi made from it weighs about 1.8 kg.

How many mL is 1 tablespoon, and how does it differ from a teaspoon?

Japanese measuring spoons are 15 mL for a tablespoon and 5 mL for a teaspoon, so one tablespoon equals three teaspoons. One cup (200 mL) equals 13 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon. In US recipes a tablespoon is about 14.79 mL and a teaspoon about 4.93 mL, slightly smaller, but for small amounts Japanese spoons are a fine substitute. Weight varies by ingredient, so use a scale for recipes given in grams.