二 èr two
two; silly
How to remember 二: The waiter brings one ice cream for the twins, sees the tears and hurries back with one more, and now there are two.
Component breakdown
The waiter brings one ice cream for the twins, sees the tears and hurries back with one more, and now there are two.
How it came to be
Two tally strokes laid flat, the lower one longer. One, two and three are the only numbers Chinese draws as the thing being counted.
How it is used
- The number two for counting digits and order - 二十 (èrshí) twenty, 第二 (dì-èr) second.
- But before a measure word, switch to 两 (liǎng): 两个 (liǎng ge) two of, never 二个. Colloquially 二 can also mean 'silly, dim'.
Characters built with 二
Words with 二
Example sentences
- 下个月是二月。 Xià gè yuè shì èryuè.Next month is February.
- 我家在二楼。 Wǒ jiā zài èr lóu.My home is on the second floor.
- 我住在二楼。 Wǒ zhù zài èr lóu.I live on the second floor.
- 黄河是中国的第二大河。 Huánghé shì Zhōngguó de dì èr dà hé.The Yellow River is the second longest river in China.