kan (unit)

{{short description|Korean unit of length; approximately two metres}}

The kan ({{Korean|hangul=간|hanja=間}}) is a traditional unit of measurement used in Korean architecture still found in use today primarily to describe palaces, Buddhist temples and shrines, and Confucian school buildings, from the Joseon era. A Kan is the distance between two support beams or pillars. 1 Kan is defined as being a space of about two meters, or 6–8 feet. Kan is also used to define an area in a traditional building, referring to the square space enclosed by 4 wooden pillars.{{cite web|url=http://www.koreanarchitecture.org/glossary.html|title=koreanarchitecture.org - kan|accessdate=2015-10-25|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208070136/http://www.koreanarchitecture.org/glossary.html|archivedate=2015-12-08}}{{cite web |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2015/10/355_178572.html|title=koreatimes.co.kr - kan|date=8 May 2015 |access-date=2015-10-25}}