二 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
二 means the number two — nothing more, nothing less. It's literally a picture of the idea: two horizontal lines stacked on top of each other (one line is 一 "one," three lines is 三 "three"). You'll meet it in two roles: as a standalone number you can count with (二つ, "two things"), and as a building block inside compound words like 二月 ("February") and 二回 ("two times"). Whenever you spot 二, you know "two" is somewhere in the meaning — an instant head start.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | ふた.つ | 二つ (two things) |
| kun'yomi | ふた | 二人 (ふたり, two people), 二日 (ふつか, the 2nd) |
| on'yomi | ニ | 二月 (February), 二回 (two times), 二十 (twenty) |
Here's a rule of thumb that works for most number kanji: the kun'yomi (ふた.つ / ふた) tends to show up when you're counting plain things, while the on'yomi (ニ) appears inside compound words, especially with other kanji. So 二つ uses ふた.つ, but 二月 uses ニ. Two readings to watch out for break this pattern, though — see the irregulars below.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 2, written top to bottom — the shorter line on top first, then the longer line below. That's the whole kanji.
- Radical: 二 is its own radical, the "two" radical (に). It's a tiny, foundational radical you'll see inside other kanji such as 五 ("five") and 元 ("origin").
Because it's just two strokes, 二 is one of the easiest kanji to write — but be careful not to confuse it with 一 ("one," one line) or 三 ("three," three lines). Count the lines!
Common words using 二
Notice the reading split in action: the counter 二つ takes ふた.つ, while compounds like 二月 and 二回 flip to ニ. But watch the two irregulars: 二人 is read ふたり (not "にじん"), and 二十日 is read はつか (not "にじゅうにち"). These are special readings you simply memorize as whole words.
Example sentences
ヤッタンはりんごを二つ買いました。
ヤッタンは りんごを ふたつ かいました。
Yattan bought two apples.
二つ — the kun'yomi ふた.つ reading, used for counting things.
ヤッタンとモチの二人は、二月に旅行へ行きます。
ヤッタンと モチの ふたりは、にがつに りょこうへ いきます。
Yattan and Mochi, the two of them, will travel in February.
Two readings here: 二人 is the irregular ふたり, and 二月 uses the on'yomi ニ (にがつ).
先生は「テストは二十日です」と言いました。
せんせいは「テストは はつかです」と いいました。
Sensei said, 'The test is on the 20th.'
二十日 = はつか, a special irregular reading for the 20th of the month.
Quick recap
- 二 = two; just 2 strokes; it's the "two" radical itself.
- ふた.つ when counting things (二つ); ニ in most compounds (二月, 二回, 二十).
- Two key irregulars: 二人 = ふたり (two people) and 二十日 = はつか (the 20th). Memorize these as whole words.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 二 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 二 in 二つ vs 二月?
In 二つ it's the kun'yomi ふた (二つ = ふたつ, 'two things'). In 二月 it's the on'yomi ニ (二月 = にがつ, 'February'). As a rule, compounds take the on'yomi ニ.
Why is 二人 read ふたり and not にじん?
二人 ('two people') is a common irregular reading. Japanese keeps the old native counting words for one and two people: 一人 = ひとり and 二人 = ふたり. From three people on, it's regular: 三人 = さんにん.
Why is 二十日 read はつか?
二十日 ('the 20th of the month') is a special date reading you memorize as a whole word, not はつか from any single kanji's normal reading. It pairs with 十日 = とおか ('the 10th').
How do I avoid confusing 二 with 一 and 三?
Just count the horizontal lines: 一 ('one') has one line, 二 ('two') has two, and 三 ('three') has three. The number of strokes literally equals the number.