二 — Kanji Reference

二 (two): 2 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ニ. Kun: ふた、ふた-つ.

japanesekanjin5writing

二

Property Value
Meaning two
Strokes 2
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) ニ
Kun-reading (訓読み) ふた、ふた-つ
Radical 二 (に) U+4E8C

Stroke Order

The stroke order follows the general rule of top-to-bottom.

  1. Stroke 1: The top horizontal line. Start from the left and move to the right.
  2. Stroke 2: The bottom horizontal line. Start from the left and move to the right. Note that the bottom stroke is typically slightly longer than the top stroke.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 二 is a "self-radical," meaning it is its own radical (部首: に). It is an ideographic character representing the number two. In ancient oracle bone script, it was simply two horizontal lines, representing the concept of duality or the number two.

Mnemonic

  • The Horizon: Imagine the top line is the horizon and the bottom line is the reflection of the horizon in the water. There are two lines, so it means "two."
  • The Stack: Think of two wooden planks stacked on top of each other. You have two planks, so the character is "two."

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

ニ (ni)

Word Reading Romaji English
二月 にがつ ni-gatsu February
二階 にかい ni-kai Second floor
二人 ににん ni-nin Two people
二回 にかい ni-kai Two times

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

ふた (futa)

Word Reading Romaji English
二人 ふたり futari Two people (pair)
二日 ふつか futsuka Second day of the month / Two days

ふた-つ (futa-tsu)

Word Reading Romaji English
二つ ふたつ futatsu Two (general counter)

JLPT N5 Words Using 二

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
二 に ni Two N5
二つ ふたつ futatsu Two (things) N5
二人 ふたり futari Two people N5
二日 ふつか futsuka 2nd day / 2 days N5
二月 にがつ ni-gatsu February N5
二階 にかい ni-kai Second floor N5
二十歳 はたち hatachi 20 years old N5
二百 にひゃく ni-hyaku Two hundred N5

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
私は二つ持っています。 わたしはふたつもっています。 Watashi wa futatsu motte imasu. I have two (of them).
二月は寒いですね。 にがつはさむいですね。 Ni-gatsu wa samui desu ne. February is cold, isn't it?
二階に誰かいます。 にかいにだれかいます。 Ni-kai ni dareka imasu. Someone is on the second floor.
二人で映画を見ました。 ふたりでえいがをみました。 Futari de eiga o mimashita. We watched a movie together (as two people).
今日は二日です。 きょうはふつかです。 Kyō wa futsuka desu. Today is the 2nd (of the month).
二百円を払いました。 にひゃくえんをはらいました。 Ni-hyaku en o haraimashita. I paid 200 yen.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
二 に Two Two horizontal lines.
三 さん Three Three horizontal lines.
一 いち One One horizontal line.

Note: The primary difference is the number of horizontal strokes. Learners often confuse 二 and 三 when writing quickly; ensure the bottom stroke of 二 is slightly longer for balance.

Usage Frequency Note

二 is one of the most frequently used characters in the Japanese language. It appears in almost every context involving counting, dates, and time. Because it is a fundamental building block, it is mastered by all learners at the very beginning of their studies. It is equally common in formal writing and casual speech.