Chinese and Japanese Shoe Size Chart: CN, JP, US and EU

A Chinese and Japanese shoe size chart is metric: the size is the foot length the shoe is made for, written in millimetres in China (250) and in centimetres in Japan (25 or 25.0), so both mean a foot of about 25 cm, or 9.8 inches. The figure describes the foot, and the insole of a size 250 shoe is longer by the room the maker builds in. Below: how to read CN, JP, 245 and 24.5, a chart converting them to US, UK and EU, and the checks to make before ordering.

What CN and JP mean on a shoe size chart

CN labels the Chinese size column, JP the Japanese one. International charts sometimes combine them as CM/JP. Both systems are metric and go back to Mondopoint, the international system that sizes a shoe by the length and width of the foot it fits.

Mondopoint is widely used in China, Japan and other parts of Asia. South Korea uses the same principle under its own standard, KS M 6681, and writes the size in millimetres: 250, 255, 260.

Because the number is tied to centimetres, it is easier to compare with your own foot than an EU or US size, which count in Paris points or barleycorns. A metric number still only gives the row in the size range. Two pairs marked 255 can fit differently because of width, instep height and toe shape.

In an online shop the figure in the CN column may be the factory marking, the seller’s own conversion or part of a generic chart for many products. The maker’s chart for the model and a photo of the label remain the first reference for an order.

Chinese shoe size standard: GB/T 43293-2022

Shoe sizes in China are set by the national standard GB/T 43293-2022, Shoe size. It was approved on 12 October 2022, has applied since 1 May 2023 and fully replaced the older GB/T 3293.1-1998. It is a modified adoption of ISO 9407:2019, which is Mondopoint.

Conversion between systems is covered by a separate standard, GB/T 36935-2025, Footwear — Conversion of sizing systems. Approved on 31 October 2025 and in force since 1 May 2026, it is identical to the international ISO 19407:2023 and replaces the 2018 edition.

These details come from the official standard records; the full texts are sold. They explain where the three-digit metric numbers in Chinese charts come from, though they cannot confirm that a seller copied the marking of a particular pair correctly.

On Chinese marketplaces a two-digit number such as 39, 40 or 41 often appears next to the metric one. It is usually a European size added for foreign buyers and converted with the seller’s table, which may not follow the standard.

Japanese shoe sizes: centimetres and width letters E, EE, EEE

The Japanese national standard for shoe sizes is JIS S 5037:1998. It gives foot length in centimetres in 5 mm steps: 24, 24.5, 25. On boxes and in charts the same figure also appears in millimetres, 240, 245, 250, and as 24.0.

After the length comes a girth letter: A, B, C, D, E, EE, EEE, EEEE, F and G. Each letter is tied to a foot girth in millimetres for that length, so 25 EE and 27 EE are different girths. The standard has separate girth tables for men, women and children under 12.

Two practical points follow. The Japanese length figure is the same for men’s and women’s shoes, with no offset like the American one. And a width letter can only be read from the table for the sex the model is made for: a women’s EE and a men’s EE are different girths.

If a Japanese chart shows length with no letter, the model is made in one width. Check the length and ask separately about the width of the last.

Japan 240 shoe size: what 240 means

Japan 240 is one of the most searched sizes. The number is in millimetres and equals JP 24, a foot 24 cm (9.4 inches) long. The range steps by half a centimetre: 240, 245, 250, 255.

By the chart on this page, 240 corresponds to about EU 38, UK 5½, men’s US 6½ and women’s US 7½. Some brands shift these values by half a size.

• 240 is a size designation and does not guarantee the inside length of the shoe.
• The conversion of 240 to EU or US varies between makers, so take it from the model’s chart.
• If the maker gives a separate Foot Length column, compare your foot with that column.

English listings write the same value as 24 cm or 24.0, Korean ones as 240 mm. It is one row of the range in different units, and it helps you find the row in the maker’s chart without replacing the chart.

Chinese and Japanese shoe size chart: US, UK and EU

The chart starts from the foot length that the metric size stands for and uses the same formulas as the EU, UK and US charts on this site. EU and UK are rounded to the half size.

The US columns use the common offset: men’s US one above UK, women’s two above. For makers who put women’s sizes one and a half above men’s, the women’s figure will be half a size higher.

Treat it as a first estimate. It cannot show the allowance a particular brand builds in and does not replace the model’s chart with foot length.

An example: a measurement of 263 mm falls between the 260 and 265 rows, which give EU 41–42 and men’s US 8½–9½. If the maker lists EU 42 for feet up to 265 mm, take it; if only up to 260 mm, the pair will be short and the next row is needed. The foot length column in the model’s chart decides, whatever your own rounding says.

245 vs 24.5: size, foot length or insole length

As lengths, 245 mm and 24.5 cm are equal. Two labels with these numbers may still mean different things: one may be the metric size, the other a figure the seller calls “insole length”. Look for the full column heading.

• Foot Length: compare with your own foot measured as the maker instructs.
• Size, JP, CN: read as a size designation and check the note under the chart.
• Insole Length: ask how it was measured and do not use it in place of foot length.
• CM with no explanation: ask what it means before ordering.

A figure in centimetres or inches may describe either the foot or the inside cavity of the shoe. Some makers state in their charts that the CM on the box is not foot length. That note applies to that maker’s chart only.

The same 25 therefore gives three different answers. As a size label it points to a row; as foot length you compare it with your measurement; as insole length it is longer than the foot by the allowance.

How to convert Chinese shoe sizes to US and EU sizes

This order of steps prevents most mistakes.

• Measure both feet in the evening, in the socks you will wear, and note the length of the larger one.
• Keep the measurement unrounded: if you get 24.3 cm, leave it as 24.3 before reading the chart.
• Find the maker’s chart for this model. A shop’s general chart is a fallback.
• Work out what the column shows: foot length, a size designation or insole length.
• Find your row by foot length if there is such a column, without adding a centimetre of room: the maker has already allowed for it.
• Read the EU and US values in that row and take them as your guide.
• Ask about width if your foot is wide or your instep high.

If any step has no answer, ask the seller. A wrong size is easier to prevent than to exchange from another country.

How to check a seller’s size chart and avoid common mistakes

On marketplaces the size chart is often filled in by the seller. It may be copied from another model, approximate, or mix men’s and women’s scales. Before buying, ask for a photo of the marking on the pair itself.

• Is there a foot length column? Without it, it is unclear what the numbers refer to.
• Does the chart match the label in the photo?
• Does the seller use one chart for every product? Then it says nothing about the particular last.

The common mistakes repeat.

• Dividing the number by 10 and treating the result as insole length. 250 is a foot of about 25 cm, and the insole is longer.
• Adding room twice: once to the foot measurement and again on the seller’s advice.
• Applying one brand’s conversion to another. Neighbouring makers’ charts differ by half a size.
• Choosing by country of manufacture. The idea that all shoes made in China run small is no rule: a factory may work to an international brand’s specification.
• Ignoring width. With a narrow last a bigger number adds length and no width. 25 E and 25 EEE are one length and two girths.

Bespoke shoes instead of matching CN and JP

When no metric row fits both the length and the width, a pair made to the measurements of each foot is the simpler answer. Sergey Grechushkin’s workshop in Moscow makes shoes, ankle boots, chelsea boots, loafers and tall boots for men and women in this way, for Russian sizes 33 to 52, or feet from 21.0 to 33.7 cm, and CN, JP or EU remain mere labels.

At the measuring visit near Taganskaya metro, by appointment between 10:00 and 20:00, the shoemaker measures both feet and builds a last for each. Feet of different sizes get two lasts, with no upper limit on the difference. Trial shoes follow, usually one to three fittings. The consultation is free, and a comfortable pair you already own is worth bringing to show what fit feels familiar.

Prices start from 100,000 roubles a pair. A first pair with new lasts takes about ten weeks; later pairs on the saved lasts take from four weeks.