Character

二

èr HSK 5

二 èr HSK 5

1. two (the number 1+1)
2. second; secondary
3. of two kinds; not single-minded
4. not single-minded; divided in loyalty
5. a surname

Words using 二 as èr (7)

1 二手 èr shǒu — secondhand HSK 5
- 二 second (ordinal)
- 手 hand (indicating previous ownership)
Example

我买了一辆二手车。

wǒ mǎi le yī liàng èr shǒu chē

I bought a secondhand car.
2 二维码 èr wéi mǎ — QR code HSK 5
- 二 two (indicating two-dimensional)
- 维 dimension
- 码 code
Example

请扫描这个二维码付款。

qǐng sǎo miáo zhè ge èr wéi mǎ fù kuǎn

Please scan this QR code to make payment.
3 二氧化碳 èr yǎng huà tàn — carbon dioxide HSK 6
- 二 two, di- (prefix indicating two atoms)
- 氧 oxygen (element)
- 化 -ide (suffix for chemical compounds)
- 碳 carbon (element)
Example

植物通过光合作用吸收二氧化碳。

zhí wù tōng guò guāng hé zuò yòng xī shōu èr yǎng huà tàn

Plants absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
4 一干二净 yì gān èr jìng — completely clean, spotless HSK 7
- 一 one, completely
- 干 dry, thorough
- 二 two, doubly
- 净 clean, pure
Example

他把房间打扫得一干二净。

tā bǎ fáng jiān dǎ sǎo de yì gān èr jìng

He cleaned the room until it was spotlessly clean.
5 接二连三 jiē èr lián sān — one after another HSK 7
- 接 connect, join
- 二 two (beginning of sequence)
- 连 link, connect continuously
- 三 three (continuation of sequence)
Example

最近公司接二连三地出现问题。

zuì jìn gōng sī jiē èr lián sān de chū xiàn wèn tí

Recently, the company has had problems one after another.

Show more (+2)

6 数一数二 shǔ yī shǔ èr — one of the best; among the top HSK 7
- 数 to count; indicates the act of ranking or enumerating
- 一 one; represents first place or top position
- 数 to count (repeated); continues the enumeration process
- 二 two; represents second place, completing the top tier
Example

这家餐厅在城里数一数二。

zhè jiā cān tīng zài chéng lǐ shǔ yī shǔ èr

This restaurant is one of the best in the city.
7 独一无二 dú yī wú èr — unique HSK 7
- 独 alone, sole
- 一 one
- 无 without, no
- 二 two, second
Example

每个人都是独一无二的。

měi gè rén dōu shì dú yī wú èr de

Every person is unique.

Structure & writing

二 èr — two (the number 1+1)

二 is a component in 5 characters

HSK 1

些 xiē placed after a verb or adjective to mean slightly or a little

HSK 3

言 yán (lit.) to speak; to say

HSK 4

云 yún (lit.) to say

HSK 7

仁 rén benevolence; the Confucian moral concept centered on compassion, love, and altruism 腻 nì to feel put off by greasy food

二 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order