二 | Chinese Character for Two

二 is the character for “two”. It is made out of 2 strokes.

Chinese Character	Simplified Version	Bopomofo	Pinyin
二	二	ㄦˋ	èr

Definition

two; 2

Historical Origins

The Chinese character for “two” (二) is a classic example of an ideogram, conveying its meaning through two parallel horizontal strokes that symbolize duplication. Following the simple logic of Chinese numerals, it builds on “one” (一), a single stroke, and precedes “three” (三), three strokes, reflecting a sequential visual representation of quantity.

Vocabulary with the Character 二

Chinese	Bopomofo	Pinyin	English
二月	ㄦˋ ㄩㄝˋ	èryuè	February
二手	ㄦˋ ㄕㄡˇ	èrshǒu	Second-hand
二次	ㄦˋ ㄘˋ	èrcì	Second time; secondary
二維	ㄦˋ ㄨㄟˊ	èrwéi	Two-dimensional
第二	ㄉㄧˋ ㄦˋ	dì’èr	Second (ordinal)
二胡	ㄦˋ ㄏㄨˊ	èrhú	Erhu (Chinese musical instrument)
二等	ㄦˋ ㄉㄥˇ	èrděng	Second class; second rank