二

二 U+4E8C, 二 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E8C ← 事 [U+4E8B] CJK Unified Ideographs 亍 → [U+4E8D]

⼆ U+2F06, ⼆ KANGXI RADICAL TWO ← ⼅ [U+2F05] Kangxi Radicals ⼇ → [U+2F07]

㈡ U+3221, ㈡ PARENTHESIZED IDEOGRAPH TWO ← ㈠ [U+3220] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㈢ → [U+3222]

㊁ U+3281, ㊁ CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH TWO ← ㊀ [U+3280] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㊂ → [U+3282]

Stroke order

Stroke order

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

• 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

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

simp. and trad.		二
alternative forms		貳／贰 financial 弍 𠄠

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”).

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.

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.” [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

   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. [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  ―  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 [Jyutping]  ―  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. [Pinyin]

   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. [Pinyin]

    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! [Pinyin]

    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. [Jyutping]

    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)

See 兩 - Usage notes.

• (dialectal or used in counting) 兩／两 (liǎng)

Chinese numbers
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	102	103	104	106	108	1012
Normal (小寫／小写)	〇, 零, 空	一, 蜀	二, 兩／两	三	四	五	六	七	八	九	十	百	千	萬／万, 十千 (Malaysia, Singapore)	百萬／百万, 桶(Philippines), 面桶 (Philippines)	億／亿	兆 (Taiwan) 萬億／万亿 (Mainland China)
Financial (大寫／大写)	零	壹	貳／贰	參／叁	肆	伍	陸／陆	柒	捌	玖	拾	佰	仟

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)

Others:

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

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• 弐 (financial or formal)

• Go-on: に (ni, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: じ (ji)
• Tō-on: アル (aru)
• 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)

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

Kanji in this term
二
に Grade: 1
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 二 (ȵiɪ^H, “two”). Compare modern Eastern Min reading nê.

• (Tokyo) に [níꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟i]

• Audio:

  (file)

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”)

Japanese cardinal numbers

<  1	2	3  >
Cardinal : 二

二(に) • (ni) 

1. two, 2

Kanji in this term
二
ふた Grade: 1
kun'yomi

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

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

• (Tokyo) ふた [fùtáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɸɯ̟ta̠]

二(ふた) • (futa) 

1. two

Japanese numbers
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Regular	零(れい) (rei) 零(ゼロ) (zero)	一(いち) (ichi)	二(に) (ni)	三(さん) (san)	四(よん) (yon) 四(し) (shi)	五(ご) (go)	六(ろく) (roku)	七(なな) (nana) 七(しち) (shichi)	八(はち) (hachi)	九(きゅう) (kyū) 九(く) (ku)	十(じゅう) (jū)
Formal		壱(いち) (ichi)	弐(に) (ni)	参(さん) (san)							拾(じゅう) (jū)
	90	100	300	600	800	1,000	3,000	8,000	10,000	100,000,000
Regular	九(きゅう)十(じゅう) (kyūjū)	百(ひゃく) (hyaku) 一(いっ)百(ぴゃく) (ippyaku)	三(さん)百(びゃく) (sanbyaku)	六(ろっ)百(ぴゃく) (roppyaku)	八(はっ)百(ぴゃく) (happyaku)	千(せん) (sen) 一(いっ)千(せん) (issen)	三(さん)千(ぜん) (sanzen)	八(はっ)千(せん) (hassen)	一(いち)万(まん) (ichiman)	一(いち)億(おく) (ichioku)
Formal									一(いち)萬(まん) (ichiman)
	1012	8×1012	1013	1016	6×1016	8×1016	1017	1018
	一(いっ)兆(ちょう) (itchō)	八(はっ)兆(ちょう) (hatchō)	十(じゅっ)兆(ちょう) (jutchō)	一(いっ)京(けい) (ikkei)	六(ろっ)京(けい) (rokkei)	八(はっ)京(けい) (hakkei)	十(じゅっ)京(けい) (jukkei)	百(ひゃっ)京(けい) (hyakkei)

Kanji in this term
二
アル Grade: 1
tōon

Borrowing from Mandarin 二 (èr).

• (Tokyo) アル [áꜜrù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾɯ̟]

二(アル) • (aru) 

1. two, 2

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

Korean numbers ^(edit)

	20
←  1	2	3  →
Native isol.: 둘 (dul)     Native attr.: 두 (du)     Sino-Korean: 이 (i)     Hanja: 二     Ordinal: 둘째 (duljjae)

From Middle Chinese 二 (MC nyijH).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	ᅀᅵᆼ〮 (Yale: zí)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[1]	두〯 (Yale: twǔ)	ᅀᅵ〯 (Yale: zǐ)
Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575	두 (Yale: twu)	이 (Yale: i)

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

Wikisource

二 (eumhun 두 이 (du i))

1. hanja form^? of 이 (“two”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

二: Hán Việt readings: nhị^[1][2][3]
二: Nôm readings: nhì^[1][2][3], nhị^[2][3][4], nhẹ^[1]

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

二

1. Sawndip form of ngeih