二輪

Japanese

Kanji in this term
二	輪
に Grade: 1	りん Grade: 4
on’yomi

Etymology

May be from Middle Chinese 二輪 (MC nyijH lwin).

Alternatively, may have been coined in Japan of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as a compound of 二 (ni, “two”) +‎ 輪 (rin, “wheel; ring”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) にりん [nìríń] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) に​りん [níꜜrìǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iɾʲĩɴ]

Noun

二(に)輪(りん) • (nirin) 

1. two things that are round

   日(じつ)月(げつ)の二(に)輪(りん)

   jitsugetsu no nirin

   the two circles / rings / roundnesses of the sun and the moon

   二(に)輪(りん)咲(さ)きの百合(ゆり)

   nirinsaki no yuri

   two-circle-blooming lilies → twin-blooming lilies

Derived terms

• 二(に)輪(りん)車(しゃ) (nirinsha): a two-wheeled vehicle; a bicycle; a moped, a motorcycle
• 二(に)輪(りん)草(そう) (nirinsō): Anemone flaccida, a kind of flower

References

• Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN