45 k (= 45 thousand)

[Roymalika]

About a week ago, I bought a cellphone from a market. One of my friends asked me how much rupees I bought it for.
I said: 45 k (I meant 45 thousand rupees)

Two questions:
1) Would you use "k" to mean "thousand" in a written or spoken conversation?
2) Should it be small "k" or capital "K"?

(I didn't say "45 k rupees" because we both know they are rupees; it's understood for us. So I just said "45 k".)

 

[Keith Bradford]

Would I use "k" to mean "thousand" in a written or spoken conversation? No, it sounds pretentiously trendy in British English. It is however often used in newspaper advertisements to refer to salaries, meaning "thousand pounds a year". (Of course, the advertiser wants to reduce the number of words he pays for.)

In that case, it's written with a capital "K".

 

[cidertree]

"Grand" is commonly used in casual conversation to mean one thousand - rupees, or any other unit of currency.

 

[Uncle Jack]

1) Would you use "k" to mean "thousand" in a written or spoken conversation?

All the time, unfortunately. Mostly this comes from work. I probably don't use it much in ordinary conversation outside of work, but then I rarely talk about things costing thousands of pounds. If phones cost thousands of pounds in Britain, I am sure we would use it a lot more.

2) Should it be small "k" or capital "K"?

It can be either. I usually use a small k.

 

[Roymalika]

"Grand" is commonly used in casual conversation to mean one thousand - rupees, or any other unit of currency.

Would I say "45 Grand" then in the OP?

All the time, unfortunately. Mostly this comes from work. I probably don't use it much in ordinary conversation outside of work,

What work you're referring to in which you use it?

 

[Uncle Jack]

Would I say "45 Grand" then in the OP?


What work you're referring to in which you use it?

Manufacturing. It is used for any number that might be measured in thousands, such as money and numbers of products made and sold.

 

[ewie]

Two questions:
1) Would you use "k" to mean "thousand" in a written or spoken conversation?
2) Should it be small "k" or capital "K"?

(1) No, never ever in speech, and never spontaneously in writing either ...
(2) ... but if I did write it, it would be closed and with a small k: 45k.

But I never ever use grand either. To me thousands are thousands

 

[Hermione Golightly]

My family and I use k short for thousand because we all know what it means through work and business. I wouldn't use it talking in general because most people do not use it and wouldn't understand. The only time I'm likely to be talking about thousands of pounds is in talking about property prices.

 

[sound shift]

I don't use "k" to mean "thousand", either in speech or in writing. With all due respect to Hermione and anyone else who uses it, it sounds slick to me, as if the speaker wishes to give the impression that (s)he leads a fast-paced life and doesn't have time to pronounce every word in full.

 

[cidertree]

Would I say "45 Grand" then in the OP?

You could. Looking at the current value of the rupee (≈ €11), 'grand' would fall short in the 'impressive amount of money' department though.

 

[cidertree]

To me thousands are thousands

Or a 'bag', apparently.

 

[JulianStuart]

My family and I use k short for thousand because we all know what it means through work and business. I wouldn't use it talking in general because most people do not use it and wouldn't understand. The only time I'm likely to be talking about thousands of pounds is in talking about property prices.

We are fortunate enough to have a financial advisor who helps with our savings/investments etc. In discussions with him, we frequently use k in conversation and taking notes. It is also used (one might call it jargon) to refer to the molecular weight of a protein or other macromolecule: a 45k protein has a molecular weight of 45,000. I expect other fields use it for other things. So quite innocuous in the right context.

 

[cidertree]

Perhaps it sounds a little less 'strange' in countries that have embraced the metric system.