二人

Japanese

Alternative forms
Kanji in this term
二 人
ふた
Grade: 1		 り
Grade: 1
kun’yomi
  • ２人

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese.

  • The most likely derivation is from 二 (futa, “2, two”) +‎ 人 (-ri, counter for persons).
  • Alternatively, from 二 (fu, “2, two”, short-form) +‎ 人 (-tari, counter for persons).
  • Yet another probable derivation would be a shift from 二 (futa, “2, two”) +‎ 人 (-tari):
    /puta tari/ → */put̚tari/ → /putari/ → /futari/

(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

Noun

二人 (hiragana ふたり, rōmaji futari)

  1. two persons
    私 (わたし)と二人 (ふたり)きり
    watashi to futari-kiri
    just the two of us
    二人 (ふたり)とも凄 (すご)いですね
    futari-tomo sugoi desu ne
    those two (or "you two") are remarkable, aren't they (or "you")
  2. a couple, pair
    二人 (ふたり)で暮 (く)らす
    futari de kurasu
    to live as a couple
  3. (poetic) the two of us, we two
    • 711–712, Kojiki (poem 19)
      阿 (あ)斯 (し)波 (は)良 (ら)能 (の)志 (し)祁 (け)志 (し)岐 (き)袁 (を)夜 (や)邇 (に)須 (す)賀 (が)多 (た)多 (た)美 (み)伊 (い)夜 (や)佐 (さ)夜 (や)斯 (し)岐 (き)弖 (て)和 (わ)賀 (が)布 (ふ)多 (た)理 (り)泥 (ね)斯 (し) [Man'yōgana]
      葦原 (あしはら)のしけしき小 (を)屋 (や)に菅 (すが)畳 (だたみ)いやさや敷 (し)きて我 (わ)がふたり寝 (ね)し [Modern spelling]
      ashihara no shikeshiki oya ni suga-datami iya saya shikite waga futari neshi
      (please add an English translation of this example)
Usage notes
  • Like 一人 (hitori), despite its etymology, furigana notations for this word tend not to use mono-ruby by attaching kana to each kanji (二 (ふた)人 (り)), but group-ruby by attaching all the kana to all the kanji as a whole (二人 (ふたり)).
Derived terms
Derived terms
  • 二人 (ふたり)口 (ぐち) (futari-guchi)
  • 二人 (フタリ)静 (シズカ) (futarishizuka)
  • 二人 (ふたり)大名 (だいみょう) (Futari Daimyō)
  • 二人 (ふたり)使 (づか)い (futari-zukai)
  • 二人 (ふたり)の主 (しゅ)人 (じん)を一 (いち)度 (ど)に持 (も)つと (Futari no Shujin o Ichido ni Motsu to)
  • 二人 (ふたり)の人 (にん)間 (げん) (Futari no Ningen)
  • 二人 (ふたり)のやもめ (Futari no Yamome)
  • 二人 (ふたり)乗 (の)り (futari-nori)
  • 二人 (ふたり)袴 (ばかま) (Futari-bakama)
Idioms
  • 欲 (よく)と二人 (ふたり)連 (づ)れ (yoku to futari-zure)
Proverbs
  • 二人 (ふたり)は伴 (はん)侶 (りょ)，三 (さん)人 (にん)は仲 (なか)間 (ま)割 (わ)れ (futari wa hanryo, sannin wa nakamaware)

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
二 人
に
Grade: 1		 にん
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Compound of Middle Chinese elements 二 (ni, “2, two”) +‎ 人 (nin, “man, person”).

Pronunciation

Noun

二人 (hiragana ににん, rōmaji ninin)

  1. two persons
  2. a couple, pair
Usage notes

The reading is only used in compounds in modern Japanese.

Derived terms
Derived terms

See also

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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