二
二 — Two
two
On’yomiニ (ni)
On’yomiジ (ji)
Kun’yomiふた (futa)
Kun’yomiふたつ (futatsu)
Kun’yomiふたたび (futatabi)
Stroke order (2 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 二
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 十二 | じゅうに juuni | twelve; 12; queen |
| 十二月 | じゅうにがつ juunigatsu | December; twelfth month of the lunar calendar |
| 二 | に ni | two; 2 |
| 二月 | にがつ nigatsu | February; second month of the lunar calendar |
| 二人 | ふたり futari | two persons; two people; pair |
| 二つ | ふたつ futatsu | two |
Study notes
二 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 2 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #9 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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