The Baht Was Once a Unit of Weight
The baht is the currency of Thailand. Like the pound, it began as a measure of weight rather than of money.
The baht is the currency of Thailand, divided into one hundred satang. Like the British pound, it began as a weight: a baht was about 15 grams, and gold is still sold by the baht in Thailand today, so the unit lives a double life as money and as mass. The same pattern appears worldwide — the pound, the shekel, the peso and the lira all began as weights of metal before becoming names for coins.
- Thailand's currency. *Thai baht.*
- A weight unit. *A baht of gold.*
- Satang — the subunit. *One hundred satang.*
- Thai — the source. *Thai.*
- About 15 grams. *As a weight.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | baht | A baht. |
| Plural | baht | Fifty baht. |
| Subunit | satang | Satang. |
| Code | THB | THB. |
| Weight | 15 g | 15 grams. |
- The meal cost 200 baht.Money.
- Gold is sold by the baht.Weight.
- The pound followed the same path.Parallel.
Currencies that began as weights
- Pound — a pound weight of silver
- Baht — about 15 grams, still used for gold
- Shekel — an ancient Near Eastern weight
- Peso — Spanish for weight
- Lira — from Latin *libra*, a pound
Thai *bat*, a unit of weight and currency, of uncertain further origin.
Is the baht still a weight?
Yes. Gold in Thailand is traded by the baht, about 15 grams, alongside the currency of the same name.
Why do so many currencies start as weights?
Because coins were originally valued by their metal content, so the name of the weight naturally became the name of the money.