两 liǎng — two, both, liang · English

两

liǎng

two, both, liang

At a glance · 两

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象双体并列（或二「入」），会意成对、双。后借为数目「二」。隶楷作「兩」，简化作「两」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「两」本指成双，引申为二、双方、重量单位。

Structure

会意字，从二从入，象两两相配之形。

At a glance

Pinyinliǎng

Radical一

Strokes7

UnicodeU+4E24

Character type会意

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English two, both, liang Two, both; a unit of weight (liang).

Français deux, les deux, liang Deux, les deux; une unité de poids (liang).

Español dos, ambos, liang Dos, ambos; unidad de peso (liang).

العربية اثنان، كلاهما اثنان أو كلاهما أو وحدة وزن.

Русский два, оба, лян Два, оба; единица веса (лян).

Common words

两个liǎng gètwo
两liǎngtwo

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