Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

二 (radical 7 二+0, 2 strokes, cangjie input 一一 (MM), four-corner 1010₀, composition ⿱一一)

1. Kangxi radical #7, ⼆ ‎(“two”).

References

• KangXi: page 86, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 247
• Dae Jaweon: page 175, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 2, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4E8C

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 二
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bamboo and silk script	Large seal script	Small seal script
Oracle bone script j28182 j28183 j28184 j28185 j28186 j28187 j28188 j28189 j28190 j28191 j28192 j28193 j28194 j28195 j28196 j28197 j28198 j28199 Bronze inscriptions b18613 b18614 b18615 b18616 b18617 b18618 b18619 b18620 b18621 b18622 b18623 b18624 b18625 b18626 b18627 b18628 b18629 b18630 b18631 b18632 b18633 Large seal script L19175 L19176 L19177 L19178 L19179 Small seal script s10124
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (large seal) and Xu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogram (指事) - two parallel lines. Compare with 一, one line meaning one, 三, three lines meaning three, and 亖, four lines meaning four.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g/s-ni-s.

Pronunciation

Definitions

二

1. two
   • 子曰：「君子之道，或出或處，或默或語，二人同心，其利斷金。同心之言，其臭如蘭。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子曰：“君子之道，或出或处，或默或语，二人同心，其利断金。同心之言，其臭如兰。” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
     From: I Ching, 3rd – 2nd millennia BCE

     Zǐ yuē: "jūnzǐ zhī dào, huò chū huò chǔ, huò mò huò yǔ, èr rén tóng xīn, qí lì duàn jīn. Tóng xīn zhī yán, qí xiù rú lán." [Pinyin]

     The Master said, on this, "The ways of good men (different seem). This in a public office toils; that in his home the time beguiles. One man his lips with silence seals; another all his mind reveals. But when two men are one in heart, not iron bolts keep them apart; the words they in their union use, fragrance like orchid plants diffuse."

2. second
   • 子墨子曰：國有七患。七患者何？城郭溝池不可守而治宮室，一患也。邊國至境四鄰莫救，二患也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子墨子曰：国有七患。七患者何？城郭沟池不可守而治宫室，一患也。边国至境四邻莫救，二患也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
     From: Mozi (book), circa 4th century BCE

     Zǐ Mòzǐ yuē: guó yǒu qī huàn. Qī huàn zhě hé? Chéngguō gōuchí bù kě shǒu ér zhì gōngshì, yī huàn yě. Biānguó zhì jìng sìlín mò jiù, èr huàn yě. [Pinyin]

     Mozi said: There are seven causes of worry to a state and they are: (1) When the outer and the inner city walls are not defensible; (2) When an enemy state is approaching and yet one's neighbours do not come to the rescue.

3. ^†secondary, vice-
4. ^†again, once more
5. ^† two-fold, double
6. ^†fold, times
7. ^†different; other, else
   • 二意
   • 二心 (èrxīn)
8. Short for "twenty, two hundred or two thousand" after hundreds, thousands and ten thousands.
   • 買電腦花了一千二。 [MSC, trad.]
     买电脑花了一千二。 [MSC, simp.]

     Mǎi diànnǎo huā le yī qiān èr. [Pinyin]

     Buying the computer cost me a thousand and two hundred bucks.

9. Short for "twenty cents".
   • 黃瓜一塊二一斤。 / 黄瓜一块二一斤。  ―  Huángguā yī kuài èr yī jīn.  ―  The cucumbers are one dollar twenty per half kilogram.
10. (Northeast Mandarin, neologism) stupid, dumb; silly, thick, lacking mental agility (often in a cute way)
    • 你這人怎麼這麼二！ [MSC, trad.]
      你这人怎么这么二！ [MSC, simp.]

      Nǐ zhè rén zěnme zhème èr! [Pinyin]

      Why are you so incorrigibly stupid!

Usage notes

See 兩#Usage notes.

Synonyms

• (used in counting) 兩／两 (liǎng)

Compounds

See also

Playing cards in Chinese · 撲克牌／扑克牌 (pūkèpái) (layout · text)
A	二	三	四	五	六	七
八	九	十	J	Q	K	小王 ‎(black), 大王 ‎(red)

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Alternative forms

• 弐 (financial or formal)

Readings

• Goon: に (ni)
• Kan’on: じ (ji)
• Kun: ふた (futa), ふたつ (二つ, futatsu)
• Nanori: おと (oto), かず (kazu), つぎ (tsugi), つぐ (tsugu), にい (nii), は (ha), ふ (fu), ふたつ (futatsu), ふだ (fuda), わ (wa)

Compounds

Derived terms

• 二 (ふた)つ ‎(futatsu): noun: two, 2 (counting); two years old
• 二 (ふた)けた ‎(futaketa) noun: two digits, double figures

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 二 ‎(nyij^H, “two”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Goon
• (Tokyo) に​ [níꜜ] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ni]

Noun

二 ‎(hiragana に, romaji ni)

1. two, 2
2. second

Numeral

二 (に, ni)

1. two, 2

Idioms

• 二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず

  にとをおうものはいっとをもえず

  nito o oumono wa itto o mo ezu

  focus on one thing at a time

• 二の足を踏む

  にのあしをふむ

  ni no ashi o fumu

  hesitate; think twice; shy or flinch

• 二階から目薬

  にかいからめぐすり

  nikai kara megusuri

  trying to do an impossible task; taking eye medicine from the 2nd floor

Etymology 2

Originally /huta/: *[puta] > [ɸuta]. The Ablaut form of 一 ‎(hito2, “one”), which it doubles.

Noun

二 ‎(hiragana ふた, romaji futa)

1. two

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3

Korean

Hanja

二 • ‎(i)
Eumhun:

• Sound (hangeul): 이 (revised: i, McCune-Reischauer: i, Yale: i)

• Name (hangeul): 둘, 두 (revised: dul, McCune-Reischauer: tul, Yale: twul)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

二 (nhì, nhị)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation

Zhuang

Numeral

二

1. Sawndip form of ngeih.