二

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二

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

See images of
Radical 7 二

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

1. Kangxi radical #7, ⼆.
2. Shuowen Jiezi radical №479

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/二
• 仁, 𬨜, 𠚧, 况, 元, 𡚬, 示, 忈, 𨳏, 𨴙, 𨶄, 三, 𠓞, 𠮡, 夳, 𦫽, 𫿭, 竺, 𢨑
• 勻, 弍, 𢎥, 𭘾, 𡤾, 𡰥, 𢨧, 𡶂, 𰀁, 𨳎, 冃, 𡆤

Further reading

Chinese Wikisource has digitized text of the Kangxi Dictionary entry for 二:

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Wikisource

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 86, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 247
• Dae Jaweon: page 175, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 2, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4E8C

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 二
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical 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 Small seal script s10124 Transcribed ancient scripts L19175 L19176 L19177 L19178 L19179
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 (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogram (指事) - two parallel strokes. Compare with 一, one stroke meaning one, 三, three strokes meaning three, and 亖 (sì), four strokes meaning four. Duplication of 一 (“one”).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g/s-ni-s. Cognate to Tibetan གཉིས (gnyis), Sikkimese ཉི (nyi), Tangut 𗍫 (*njɨ̱¹), Burmese နှစ် (hnac), and Nuosu ꑍ (nyip). See also: 次 (OC *sn̥ʰis, “second; next”), a cognate within Chinese languages.

Pronunciation

Definitions

二

1. two

   二號線／二号线  ―  èr hào xiàn  ―  line no. 2

   • 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, 11^th – 8^th century 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.”

     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

   二哥  ―  èrgē  ―  second elder brother

   • 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, c. 4^th 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.

     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  ―  èryì  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   二心  ―  èrxīn  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

8. (handwritten, dated, now informal) An iteration mark denoting the repetition of the previous hanzi; often written at a smaller size when used for this purpose.

   Alternative forms: 𠄠 (èr), 𖿣

   Synonyms: 々, 〻

9. Short for "twenty, two hundred or two thousand" after hundreds, thousands and ten thousands.

   ※ Such a definition of a number results from a number's being used without a unit after a quantity with both a value (exists even if hidden) and a unit to indicate the quantity with the value being the number and the unit one grade lower. So does the next definition.

   百二 [Cantonese]  ―  baak³ ji⁶   ―  one hundred twenty

   百二 [Hokkien]  ―  pah jī [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  one hundred twenty

   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.

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

10. Short for "twenty cents".

    黃瓜一塊二一斤。 [MSC, trad.]
    黄瓜一块二一斤。 [MSC, simp.]

    Huángguā yī kuài èr yī jīn.

    The cucumbers are one dollar twenty per half kilogram.

11. (dialectal Mandarin) 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!

    Why are you so incorrigibly stupid!

12. (Hong Kong Cantonese, school slang) to obtain a level two in a subject in DSE (exam) (usually implies failing the subject)

    我中文二咗，入唔到U。 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

    ngo⁵ zung¹ man^4-2 ji⁶ zo², jap⁶ m⁴ dou³ ju¹.

    I got a level two in Chinese, can't get into university.

13. (Classical) Alternative form of 貳／贰 (èr); usually limited to the simplified script

    不二过  ―  bù'èrguò  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Usage notes

See 兩 - Usage notes.

Synonyms

• (used in counting) 兩／两 (liǎng)

See also

Playing cards in Mandarin · 撲克牌／扑克牌 (pūkèpái) (layout · text)
尖兒／尖儿 (jiānr)	二 (èr)	三 (sān)	四 (sì)	五 (wǔ)	六 (liù)	七 (qī)
八 (bā)	九 (jiǔ)	十 (shí)	鉤兒／钩儿 (gōur)	圈兒／圈儿 (quānr), 皮蛋 (pídàn, regional)	K	小王 (xiǎowáng, black), 大王 (red), 小鬼 (xiǎoguǐ, black), 大鬼 (dàguǐ, red)

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• → Bouyei: ngih
• → Northern Thai: ᨿᩦ᩵
• → Lao: ຍີ່ (nyī)
• → Thai: ยี่ (yîi)
• → Vietnamese: nhì
• → Zhuang: ngeih

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Alternative forms

• 弐 (financial or formal)

Readings

• Go-on: に (ni, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: じ (ji)
• Kun: ふた (futa, 二, Jōyō); ふたつ (futatsu, 二つ, Jōyō); ふつ (futsu, 二つ)
• Nanori: おと (oto); つぐ (tsugu); つぎ (tsugi); にい (nī); 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 (ȵiɪ^H, “two”). Compare modern Eastern Min reading nê.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) に​ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

二(に) • (ni) 

1. two, 2
2. second

   二(に)兎(と)を追(お)う者(もの)は一兎(いっと)をも得(え)ず

   nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu

   focus on one thing at a time (literally, “one who chases two rabbits catches neither one”)

   二(に)の足(あし)を踏(ふ)む

   ni no ashi o fumu

   hesitate; think twice (literally, “step on two feet”)

   二(に)階(かい)から目(め)薬(ぐすり)

   nikai kara megusuri

   trying to do an impossible task (literally, “(taking) eye medicine from the second floor”)

Numeral

二(に) • (ni) 

1. two, 2

Etymology 2

Originally /huta/: * > . The ablaut form of 一 (hito2, “one”), which it doubles.

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *puta. Cognate with Japanese 双(ふた) (futa).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ふた​ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

二(ふた) • (futa) 

1. two

Coordinate terms

Etymology 3

Borrowing from Mandarin 二 (èr).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ア​ル (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Numeral

二(アル) • (aru) 

1. two, 2

Coordinate terms

• 一(イー) (ī)
• 三(サン) (san)
• 四(スー) (sū)

References

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 二 (MC nyijH).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

二

Wikisource

二 (eumhun 두 이 (du i))

1. Hanja form^? of 이 (“two”).

Compounds

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

二: Hán Việt readings: nhị
二: Nôm readings: nhì, nhị, nhẹ

1. chữ Hán form of nhị (“two”).
2. Nôm form of nhì (“second”).

Compounds

References

Zhuang

Numeral

二

1. Sawndip form of ngeih