Japanese Recipe Measurement Converter — Japanese teaspoons, tablespoons and 200 ml cups to grams, milliliters and US cups
Convert the measurements in Japanese recipes (小さじ 5 ml, 大さじ 15 ml, カップ 200 ml) to grams, milliliters and US cups for 30 common ingredients including soy sauce, miso, mirin, dashi, sugar, flour and rice. Weights reflect each ingredient's density.
Pick an ingredient and enter the amount from the recipe to see it in every unit, including grams for a kitchen scale.
Recipe Measurement Converter: tips and things to know
- Japanese recipes use 小さじ (kosaji, teaspoon) = 5 ml, 大さじ (osaji, tablespoon) = 15 ml and カップ (cup) = 200 ml. The cup is smaller than the US cup (240 ml).
- Dry ingredients are measured level: fill the spoon and scrape the top flat. Liquids are filled to the brim.
- Volume is the same but weight is not: a tablespoon of sugar is 9 g, of salt 18 g, of soy sauce 18 g.
- A rice cup (合, go) is 180 ml, about 150 g of uncooked rice, and is not the same as the 200 ml cooking cup.
How to use the Recipe Measurement Converter
Choose the ingredient
Pick the ingredient or seasoning from the list.
Enter the amount and unit
Type the quantity from the recipe and choose teaspoon, tablespoon, cup, US cup or grams.
Read the result
The same amount is shown in teaspoons, tablespoons, Japanese cups, grams and milliliters.
Use the table
The full table below lists the spoon and cup weights of every ingredient.
Reading measurements in Japanese recipes
Japanese recipes measure most ingredients by volume with three tools: the teaspoon (小さじ, kosaji, 5 ml), the tablespoon (大さじ, osaji, 15 ml) and the measuring cup (カップ, 200 ml). "大さじ1" means one level tablespoon; "小さじ1/2" is half a teaspoon; "1カップ" is 200 ml.
You will also meet 少々 (shosho, "a pinch", what you can hold between two fingers) and ひとつまみ (hitotsumami, a three-finger pinch, slightly more), and 適量 (tekiryo, "to taste").
The Japanese cup is 200 ml, not 240
The teaspoon and tablespoon match the US and metric spoons, but the Japanese cup is 200 ml, while the US cup is about 240 ml and the metric cup 250 ml. Using an American cup for a Japanese recipe adds 20 percent to every cup measure, which matters for rice, flour and dashi.
This tool converts through grams, so you can enter a Japanese cup measure and read off the weight, or enter a US cup on the English page and see the Japanese equivalent.
Why grams differ between ingredients
A tablespoon is always 15 ml, but 15 ml of honey weighs 21 g while 15 ml of panko weighs 3 g. The table lists the level-spoon weight of 30 common Japanese ingredients, including soy sauce, mirin, miso, dashi granules and katakuriko (potato starch), so you can switch between a Japanese recipe written in spoons and a kitchen scale.
Rice is measured in go
Rice cookers and rice recipes use the 合 (go), 180 ml, roughly 150 g of uncooked rice or about two bowls cooked. The plastic cup that comes with a rice cooker is a go cup, not a 200 ml cooking cup, and the water lines inside the cooker are marked in go.
Recipe Measurement Converter FAQ
How many grams is a Japanese tablespoon?
It depends on the ingredient. Water is 15 g, sugar 9 g, salt 18 g, flour 9 g and soy sauce 18 g. The volume is always 15 ml; the weight follows the density.
Is a Japanese tablespoon the same as a US tablespoon?
Yes, both are 15 ml, and the teaspoon is 5 ml in both. Only the cup differs: 200 ml in Japan versus about 240 ml in the US.
How many milliliters is a Japanese cup?
200 ml. The rice cup (go) is 180 ml, and the US cup is about 240 ml, so check which one a recipe means.
I have no measuring spoons. What can I use?
A plastic bottle cap holds about 7.5 ml, roughly one and a half teaspoons. A regular soup spoon is a little under a tablespoon and a teaspoon from the cutlery drawer a little under 5 ml. For baking, a proper measuring spoon set is worth the ¥100 it costs at any hundred-yen shop.