Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

弐: II, two

Also: second

JLPT N16 strokesSecondary schoolYour ink: 白 Not met

一 and 弋 carry the meaning · 二 gives the sound

6 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

ニni · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 弐にtwo; 2
  • 弐拾にじゅうtwenty; 20

ふたつfutatsu · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 弐心ふたごころduplicity; treachery; double-dealing

Also read ジ, そえ, with no example words in our sources. Words: JMdict, EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Phono-semantic compound (形聲)貝 (meaning) + 弍 two (sound)

Source: Wiktionary, 貳 (rev. 93444150), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Staked arrow (弋) + the number two (二). The formal, ceremonial version of the number "two," used specifically on legal documents and banknotes to prevent forgery.”
From the 弋 ceremony story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
一

Also built on one (一)

All 40
弋

Also built on ceremony (弋)

All 2
二

Also built on two (二)

All 15

弐 takes the 二 family's reading, ニ (ni).

Also read ニ

7 kanji share this on'yomi

Also read ジ

27 kanji share this on'yomiAll 27

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
弐 II · 一 + 二
vs式 style · 工
弐 has 一 + 二 where 式 has 工.
In ChineseSimplified 贰 · traditional 貳 · èr

Three different forms: Japanese 弐, simplified 贰, traditional 貳.

Simplified
贰 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
貳 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin èr most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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