二 èr — two · English

二

èr

two

At a glance · 二

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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.

「二」甲骨文以两横指事，金文小篆一脉相承。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「二」本义为数目二、两，引申次、副。

Structure

指事字，两画并列为二，本为数目二。

At a glance

Pinyinèr

Radical二

Strokes2

UnicodeU+4E8C

Character type指事

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

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

English two two; twice

Français deux Deux. «东西二京» : les deux capitales.

Español dos Dos. «东西二京»: las dos capitales.

العربية اثنان اثنان. «东西二京»: العاصمتان.

Русский два Два. «东西二京»: две столицы.

Common words

二个èr gètwo
二手èr shǒusecond-hand

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