二
èr
- Pinyin
- èr
- Pinyin (Plain)
- er
- Tone
- 4
- Strokes
- 2
- Radical
- 二
- Readings
- èrerTone: 4two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupidOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 308 603 Q 260 597 293 574 Q 339 544 436 558 Q 551 576 673 596 Q 731 608 741 615 Q 753 625 747 636 Q 738 652 702 663 Q 669 672 559 641 Q 424 610 308 603 Z", "M 517 212 Q 569 213 620 219 Q 756 229 896 214 Q 921 210 929 220 Q 938 235 924 248 Q 891 279 842 302 Q 826 309 797 301 Q 728 286 481 261 Q 172 236 155 234 Q 142 234 128 234 Q 113 234 111 221 Q 110 208 131 191 Q 150 176 185 163 Q 197 159 217 167 Q 233 173 306 183 Q 400 202 517 212 Z"]
- Meaning
- “二” is the Chinese character for the number “two,” used in counting, dates, and simple quantities. In some contexts (like idioms or slang), it can also suggest someone or something is a bit silly or not very smart, but its main meaning is simply the number 2.
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:16:52 PM
Usage
The character “二” literally means “two” and is one of the first numbers learners encounter in Chinese. It appears on its own to count or state quantities (二, 两个, 第二), in dates (二月 “February”, 二号 “the 2nd”), in phone numbers, prices, and addresses, and in basic math (二加三等于五 “2+3=5”). Beginners also see it as a simple stroke pattern when learning to write characters, since it’s just two horizontal lines. Beyond pure counting, “二” appears in many everyday words and set phrases. It’s used in ordinal forms with 第 (第二 “second”), and in fixed compounds like 二楼 “second floor”, 二班 “Class 2”, or 二手 “second‑hand”. In colloquial Mandarin, “二” can describe someone as a bit silly or foolish (有点儿二), though this is casual slang and can sound teasing depending on tone and context. Overall, learners mainly meet “二” as the basic numeral “two” and embedded inside common modern words involving the idea of “second” or “number two.”
Handwriting Notes
The character 二 is visually simple—just two short horizontal lines, one above the other—but in handwriting it has a bit more nuance than two identical dashes. Typically, the top line is slightly shorter and may be written a bit lighter, while the bottom line is longer and feels more “anchoring,” giving the character a stable, balanced look. Both strokes are usually close to horizontal but often tilt very slightly upward toward the right, especially in quick or informal handwriting. In different people’s writing, the lines can vary in thickness, length proportion, straightness, and the degree of rightward tilt; some writers make them almost perfectly parallel and level, while others let them curve slightly or trail off with a subtle flick at the end. Despite these variations, the key recognizability comes from the clear stacking of two roughly parallel horizontal strokes, one shorter above one longer. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle this range of handwritten styles and still reliably identify 二 from photos, touchscreens, or stylus input.
Description
二 is a common Chinese character meaning “two” (the number 2). It is pronounced èr in Mandarin (Pinyin: èr) and is used in counting, dates, and many everyday expressions involving the number two.
Common Words
- 二er4two
- 二八er4 ba116
- 二者er4 zhe3both
- 二醇er4 chun2glycol
- 二重er4 chong2double
Example Sentences
我喜欢二。
wo3 xi3 huan5 er4
I like two.
二八很常见。
er4 ba1 hen3 chang2 jian4
二八 is very common.
我们在学习二者。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 er4 zhe3
We are learning both.
这个二醇很重要。
zhe4 ge5 er4 chun2 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This glycol is important.
请写一下“二”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 er4
Please write '二'.