Kanji 二 - two
Kanji 二 means two. Onyomi readings are ニ (ni) . Kunyomi readings are ふた (futa).
Stroke order animation (2 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 二
音On'yomi (音読み)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
二 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 二
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| two | ni | 二 | に | |
| February | nigatsu | 二月 | にがつ |
More Information about 二
What does 二 (ni) mean and how do you read it?
二 (ni) means two. Its onyomi (on'yomi) is ニ (ni). Its kunyomi (kun'yomi) is ふた (futa).
Cultural note: what is 弐 (ni)?
In Japan, special number forms called 大字 (daiji) are used in formal money amounts to prevent fraud/tampering. Simple numbers like 一 (ichi) or 二 (ni) can be changed by adding a stroke (for example, someone could turn 一 (ichi) into 二 (ni) or 三 (san)). Daiji are more complex, so they’re hard to alter. That’s what “stop cheating” means here—make it hard to change the number after it’s written. The daiji form of 二 (ni) is 弐 (ni). You’ll see it on receipts, bank/official documents, and sometimes contracts. Example: 弐万円 (ni man'en) means 20,000 yen.
Other common daiji: 一 (ichi) → 壱 (ichi), 二 (ni) → 弐 (ni), 三 (san) → 参 (san), 十 (jū) → 拾 (jū).
Idioms and expressions with 二 (ni)
- 一石二鳥 (isseki nichō)（いっせきにちょう）: kill two birds with one stone (do two things at once)
- 二刀流 (nitōryū)（にとうりゅう）: two-sword style; doing two skills at a high level
- 二の次 (ni no tsugi)（にのつぎ）: second priority; not the main thing
- 二人三脚 (ninin sankyaku)（ににんさんきゃく）: three-legged race (two people tie one leg together)
