1k meaning

[goodstudent]

I know 1k means 1000, is k a short form of something?

Is it 1k or 1K?

Is it very common to use 1k, 2k, in US UK Canada and english countries? Does everyone knows 1k mean 1000?

Thanks

 

[Ilki]

1 kilo(metre) = 1*10exp3 metres = 1*1000metres = 1000 metres
1 kilo(gram) = 1*10exp3 grams = 1*1000grams = 1000 grams
etc.

 

[Tdol]

I know 1k means 1000, is k a short form of something?

Is it 1k or 1K?

Is it very common to use 1k, 2k, in US UK Canada and english countries? Does everyone knows 1k mean 1000?

Thanks

It's common in some contexts- you'll see it used in job adverts, for instance, when giving the salary on offer. I would use it for money- I wouldn't say that [strike]20k people[/strike] attended a concert.

In BrE, we also use grand colloquially- thirty grand = £30,000

 

[SoothingDave]

I agree with Tdol, it's pretty common. Another place it's used is in advertising the number of miles on a used car.

The lowercase "k" is the official metric (SI) symbol for kilo (10 to the 3rd). But you will see it used with the uppercase K sometimes. (And "K" is for kelvin temperatures.)

Sometimes manufacturers of products use the units wrong because of these issues. You just have to know that a can of soda probably does not have 355 megaliters in it. Cause ml and ML are completely different sizes.