二人

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Japanese

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
ふた
Grade: 1

Grade: 1
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
2人

From Old Japanese.

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

(Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(ふた)() (futari

  1. two people
    (わたし)二人(ふたり)きり
    watashi to futari-kiri
    just the two of us
    二人(ふたり)とも(すご)ですね
    futari-tomo sugoi desu ne
    those two are remarkable, aren't they / you two are remarkable, aren't you
  2. a couple, pair
    二人(ふたり)()らす
    futari de kurasu
    to live as a couple
  3. (poetic) the two of us, we two
    • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 19:
      阿斯波良能(あしはらの)志祁志岐袁夜邇(しけしきをやに)須賀多多美(すがたたみ)伊夜佐夜斯岐弖(いやさやしきて)和賀(わが)布多理(ふたり)泥斯(ねし) [Man'yōgana]
      葦原(あしはら)のしけしき小屋(をや)(すが)(だたみ)いやさや()きて()ふたり() [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
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  • Like 一人 (hitori), despite its etymology, furigana notations for this word tend not to use mono-ruby by attaching kana to each kanji ((ふた)()), but group-ruby by attaching all the kana to all the kanji as a whole (二人(ふたり)).
Derived terms
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Idioms
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Proverbs
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term

Grade: 1
にん
Grade: 1
on'yomi
Alternative spelling
2人

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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()(にん) (ninin

  1. two persons
  2. a couple, pair
Usage notes
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The reading is only used in compounds in modern Japanese.

Derived terms
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See also

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Japanese number-counter combinations for
1 2 3 4 5
(ひと)() (hitori)
(いち)(にん) (ichinin)
(ふた)() (futari)
()(にん) (ninin)
(さん)(にん) (sannin)
()(たり) (mitari)
()(にん) (yonin)
()(たり) (yotari)
(よっ)(たり) (yottari)
()(にん) (gonin)
(いつ)(たり) (itsutari)
6 7 8 9 10
(ろく)(にん) (rokunin)
()(たり) (mutari)
(むゆ)(たり) (muyutari)
(しち)(にん) (shichinin)
(なな)(にん) (nananin)
(なな)(たり) (nanatari)
(はち)(にん) (hachinin)
()(たり) (yatari)
()(にん) (kunin)
(きゅう)(にん) (kyūnin)
(ここの)(たり) (kokonotari)
(じゅう)(にん) (jūnin)
()(たり) (totari)
20 100 1,000 10,000 How many?
()(じゅう)(にん) (nijūnin)
廿(にじゅう)(にん) (nijūnin)
二十(はた)(たり) (hatatari)
廿(はた)(たり) (hatatari)
(ひゃく)(にん) (hyakunin)
(もも)(たり) (momotari)
(せん)(にん) (sennin)
()(たり) (chitari)
(いち)(まん)(にん) (ichimannin)
(まん)(にん) (mannin)
(ばん)(にん) (bannin)
(なん)(にん) (nannin)
(いく)(にん) (ikunin)
(いく)(たり) (ikutari)

References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN