kN
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Kilonewton |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Geography & Places |
| Also written | KN, kn |
kN has three meanings. The most common are Kilonewton (metric and SI unit) and Knot (engineering unit); it can also stand for Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Meanings of kN at a glance
| # | kN stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kilonewton | Units & Measurements › Metric and SI Unit |
| 2 | Knot | Units & Measurements › Engineering Unit |
| 3 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Geography & Places › Country Code |
1. Kilonewton
Units & Measurements · Metric and SI Unit Abbreviations
One thousand newtons, roughly the weight of a 102 kg mass on Earth. It is the standard rating unit for climbing gear, anchors, structural loads and rocket thrust in metric countries.
Example: The carabiner is rated 24 kN along the major axis with the gate closed.
Climbing hardware is stamped with separate kN ratings for major-axis, minor-axis and gate-open strength. Structural engineers express column loads in kN and floor loads in kN/m². Large rocket engines are rated in kN or meganewtons (MN), and car crash tests report forces in kN.
2. Knot (kn)
Units & Measurements · Engineering Unit Abbreviations
One nautical mile per hour, exactly 1.852 km/h or about 1.151 mph, the standard speed unit for shipping, sailing, aviation and marine weather. A container ship cruises at about 16 to 24 kn.
Example: Winds northwest 15 to 20 kn, seas 3 to 5 feet.
The name comes from the chip log, a line knotted at regular intervals that sailors let run out behind the ship for a timed interval, counting the knots to gauge speed. Kn is the ISO symbol; aviation and US weather services usually write kt or kts. "Knots per hour" is redundant.
3. Saint Kitts and Nevis (KN)
Geography & Places · Country Code Abbreviations
Two-island Caribbean federation, the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere by both area and population, with Basseterre as its capital. Its citizenship-by-investment program, started in 1984, is the world's oldest.
Example: Passport applications through the KN investment program require a background check.
The alpha-3 code is KNA. Nevis is the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton, and the two islands are separated by a channel only about 3 kilometres wide.
Related abbreviations
More metric and SI unit abbreviations
- kat – Katal
- kg – Kilogram
- km – Kilometer
- km² – Square kilometer
- kt – Kiloton (TNT equivalent)
- L – Liter
- ly – Light-year
- m – Meter
See all 64 metric and SI unit abbreviations →