二 (èr): two, 2, (Beijing dialect) stupid
二 (èr) is a Chinese character meaning “two.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 一 (structural) and 一 (structural). It ranks #157 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 二 two parallel lines; compare 一 (one) and 三 (three). Its radical form 二 (two) appears in many related characters such as 五 (wǔ, five), 些 (xiē, classifier indicating a small amount or small number greater than 1: some, a few, several), 于 (yú, (of time or place) in).
Definitions
- two
- 2
- (Beijing dialect) stupid
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTwo parallel lines; compare 一 (one) and 三 (three)
Decomposition: ⿱一一 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 二 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 二
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 二氧化碳noun | èr yǎng huà tàn | carbon dioxide CO2 | 6 |
| 二手adjective | èr shǒu | indirectly acquired | 5 |
| 二维码noun | èr wéi mǎ | 2D barcode | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 第二adjective | dì èr | second |
| 二十numeral | èr shí | twenty |
| 十二numeral | shí èr | twelve |
| 周二noun | zhōu èr | Tuesday |
| 独一无二 | dú yī wú èr | (idiom) unique |
| 老二noun | lǎo èr | second-eldest child in a family |
| 星期二 | xīng qī èr | Tuesday |
| 二级adjective | èr jí | grade 2 |
| 二战proper-noun | èr zhàn | World War II |
| 一清二楚phrase | yī qīng èr chǔ | to be very clear about sth (idiom) |
| 二月noun | èr yuè | February |
| 一干二净phrase | yī gān èr jìng | thoroughly (idiom) |
| 二等adjective | èr děng | second class |
| 二流adjective | èr liú | second-rate |
| 一二noun | yī èr | one or two |
二 appears in 104 compound words: 77 as the first character, 17 as the last, and 6 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 二 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (31)
Erenhot (a county-level city of Xilingol, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, China)
Showing 12 of 31 idioms containing 二.
Example Sentences
二月是一年中最短的月份，只有二十八天。
Èr yuè shì yī nián zhōng zuì duǎn de yuèfèn, zhǐyǒu èrshíbā tiān.
February is the shortest month of the year, with only twenty-eight days.
荣誉观护人提供曾经毒贩第二人生 获厨艺大奖肯定
róng yù guàn hù rén tí gōng céng jīng dú fàn dì èr rén shēng huò chú yì dà jiǎng kěn dìng
Honorary Guardian Provided Second Life of a former drug dealer and was recognized by the Cooking Award
年初二全国高速公路流量快速回升,午后车流持续保...
nián chū èr quán guó gāo sù gōng lù liú liáng kuài sù huí shēng , wǔ hòu chē liú chí xù bǎo . . .
The second day of the year the national highway traffic quickly rebounded, after the afternoon traffic continued to keep...
美国和伊��第二轮间接谈判17日在瑞士日内瓦开始举行
měi guó hé yī dì èr lún jiān jiē tán pàn rì zài ruì shì rì nèi wǎ kāi shǐ jǔ háng
The second round of indirect talks between the United States and Istanbul began in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17 November.
春运进行时|为二次元乘客开辟临时卸妆区 桂林公园站..
chūn yùn jìn háng shí wéi èr cì yuán chéng kè kāi bì lín shí xiè zhuāng ōu guì lín gōng yuán zhàn . .
Spring Festival in Progress|Temporary Makeup Removal Area Opened for Secondary Passengers Guilin Park Station...
请问河南中路五十二弄在什么地方？
Qǐngwèn Hénán zhōnglù wǔshí èr nòng zài shénmedìfang?
Excuse me, where is 52 south river street?
你的二十块在哪里? 我给你五块钱找到它。
Nǐ de èrshí kuài zài nǎlǐ? wǒ gěi nǐ wǔ kuài qián zhǎodào tā.
Where is your twenty? I'll give you five bucks for it.
第一还是第二的版本比较齐全？
Dìyī háishi dì'èr de bǎnběn bǐjiào qíquán?
Which is more complete, the first edition or the second?
你认为日本第二高的山是哪座？
Nǐ rènwéi Rìběn dì'èr gāo de shān shì nǎ zuò?
What do you think is the second tallest mountain in Japan?
今天是星期二，明天是星期几？
Jīntiān shì Xīngqī'èr, míngtiān shì xīngqījǐ?
Today is Tuesday. Which day is it tomorrow?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 二 (èr) mean in Chinese?
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What is the radical of 二?
What are the components of 二?
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What characters sound the same as 二 (èr)?
Is 二 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 二 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.