Learn Chinese Characters

Meaning

two; 2

Chinese: 数字二。

Hear the Four Tones

The same syllable “er” becomes a different word in each tone. 二 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.

Stroke Order

Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.

Common Words

  • 第二dì èrsecond; number two; next; secondary
  • 二手èr shǒuindirectly acquired; second-hand (information, equipment etc); assistant
  • 二维码èr wéi mǎ2D barcode; matrix code; (esp.) QR code
  • 二氧化碳èr yǎng huà tàncarbon dioxide CO2
  • 独一无二dú yī wú èr(idiom) unique; unmatched; unrivalled

Example Sentence

我家在二楼。Wǒ jiā zài èr lóu.My home is on the second floor.

Ijiāhomezàiatèrtwolóuhouse with more than 1 sto

Go deeper

Where this character comes from

Two horizontal strokes (the upper one usually shorter) meaning ‘two’ — counting by stacking lines.

A way to remember it

Two lines = two.

Easy to confuse with

  • sān‘Three’: three lines instead of two.