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two

èr
2 strokes · 二 (two radical) · HSK 1

Where 二 comes from

二 is two horizontal strokes — one line for 'one' (一), two lines for 'two'. The simplest counting system in the world: just stack the tally marks. 一, 二, 三 follow the same beautiful logic.

二 in Chinese culture

二 is 'two', but spoken Chinese often prefers 两 (liǎng) when counting things: 两个人 (two people), not 二个人. Use 二 for numbers themselves — 二月 (February), room 二〇二. Oddly, 二 alone can also be slang for 'silly' in the north.

Example

二月 èryuè — February

今天二号。
Jīntiān èr hào.
Today is the 2nd.

How to remember it

Two stacked lines = TWO. One more than 一.

When counting actual things, Chinese swaps 二 for 两 (liǎng): 两个 (two of something), not 二个. But months, dates, and bare numbers stay 二.

Same sound, different tones

2nd ér
child
3rd ěr
ear
4th èr
two

Words unlocked by 二

二月 èryuè
February
二十 èrshí
twenty
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