For example, if you want to say “122 is the emergency number for car accidents in China”, you may read the number as “one-twenty two” in English, but in Chinese, you would say:

在中国，122 是车祸的紧急电话。
Zài zhōngguó, yāo èr'èr shì chēhuò de jǐnjí diànhuà
In China, 122 is the traffic accident emergency phone number.

Let’s take a look at another phone number:

Culture Yard 的电话号码是137-18 22-9387。
Culture Yard de diànhuà hàomǎ shì yāo sānqī yāo bāèr'èr jiǔsānbāqī
Culture Yard’s phone number is 137-18 22-9387.

Notice that 幺 yāo is used instead of 一 yī for saying “one” in Chinese when giving out phone numbers. We’ll explain the differences between 一yī and 幺 yāo in another article soon!

Number "Two" counting fingers

Using 二 èr for ordinal numbers

二 èr is used for saying “ number two” in sibling seniority in Chinese

老 + numeral/rank

A: 你在家中排行老几？
Nǐ zài jiāzhōng páiháng lǎo jǐ?
Where do you come in the family?

B: 我在4个孩子中排行老二.
Wǒ zài sì gè háizi zhōng páiháng lǎo èr.
I am the second of 4 children.

二 èr is used for saying “ number two” in contest rankings in Chinese

第 + numeral

她在今天的比赛中获得第二名。
Tā zài jīntiān de bǐsài zhōng huòdé dì èr míng.
She finished second in today's race.

arabic Numeral 2 two

Using 二 èr to say “two” in fractions

我们班三分之二的同学都是女。
Wǒmen bān sān fēn zhī èr de tóngxué dōu shì nǚshēng
Two-thirds of the students in our class are girls.

贰 èr as a longhand version of 二 èr

二 èr is one of the Chinese numerals commonly used in everyday life called 小写 xiǎoxiě. Because the 小写 Chinese numbers are some of the easiest Chinese characters to write, they were each assigned a more complex version called 大写 dàxiě to be used in formal contexts including in commercial and financial settings to prevent forgery.

贰 èr is the 大写 version of 二 èr, and it is printed on the 20RMB bill.

20rmb bill 贰拾

二 èr in Chinese number slang

2013 二零一三 èr líng yī sān: I will love you forever

2B èr bi: someone who is very stupid.

4242 Sì'èrsì'èr(sounds similar to 是啊是啊 Shì a shì a): Yes, agree.

Learn more Chinese numbers slang here!

cool

How to use 两 liǎng

Using 两 liǎng with Measure words

两 liǎng is generally the go-to choice when using Chinese measure words and measurement units to say “two of something” in Chinese.

Measurement units in China: Traditional vs modern measure words for capacity/weight

There are two measurement systems used in China: the traditional measurement system or market system, and the metric system.

The market system or 市制 shì zhì dates back to imperial China, and versions of it have emerged over time. On the other hand, the metric system, also referred to as 公制 gōngzhì in Chinese (literally: common/public system), was adopted in 1929 and fully adopted in 1990. Nonetheless, in modern-day China, some market units such as the weights measures 斤 jīn and 两 liǎng are still commonly used by the locals, especially when measuring produce.

When using market system measure words, it is acceptable to use either 二 èr or 两 liǎng. However, when using the metric system, 两 liǎng is more typical.

For your reference, traditional measure words include 尺 chǐ (traditional measurement for length), 亩 mǔ (traditional measurement for land), and 里 lǐ (traditional measurement for distance). Metric measure words include 米 mǐ (meter), 公亩 gong mǔ (hectare), and 公里 gōnglǐ (kilometer). The measurement for liquids, 升 shēng, is a special case, as one unit of 升 shēng, the traditional Chinese measure of capacity, is equal to 1 liter, the metric unit for capacity; therefore, you should be aware which unit of 升 sheng you are referencing.

But not so fast! 两 liǎng itself is also a traditional Chinese measure word…

两 liǎng as a Chinese measure word

As a measure word, 两 refers to a traditional weight measure still widely used in modern China and is known as a tael in English. The value of the weight measure 两 has been standardized as 50g since 1959, equivalent to 1/10斤 jīn, and is generally used for measuring small quantities.

Ex:
我要三两菊花茶。
Wǒ yào sān liǎng júhuā chá.
I want three taels(150g) of chrysanthemum tea.

Note that two measures of 两 would be 二两 rather than 两两, as 两两 has a different meaning in Chinese. (More on 两两 later in the article).

Ex:
妈妈买了二两玉米面。
Māmā mǎile èr liǎng yùmǐmiàn.
Mom bought two taels (100g) of cornmeal.

Chinese measure word 个 ge

Using 两 liǎng for Approximate Numbers

In Chinese, 两 liǎng is used for saying “two” when expressing approximate quantities.

办签证的手续需要 两到三 个月。
Bàn qiānzhèng de shǒuxù xūyào liǎng dào sān gè yuè.
The visa procedure takes two to three months.

银行的工作人员说这笔钱等一两天就能到账。
Yínháng de gōngzuò rényuán shuō zhè bǐ qián děng yī liǎng tiān jiù néng dào zhàng.
The bank staff said the money would arrive in a day or two.

俩 liǎ

俩 liǎ is contraction of 两 liǎng and个 ge. It is mainly used for saying two in spoken Chinese, but it can also mean “both”, “pair” or “couple” depending on the context. 俩 is often preceded by a noun and followed by either a verb or a noun, but never by a measure word because it already includes the measure word 个.

Noun + 俩 + Verb/Noun

这夫妇俩都去过法国留学。
Zhè fūfù liǎ dōu qùguò fàguó liúxué.
This couple have both been to France to study.

我去过他们俩的家。
Wǒ qùguò tāmen liǎ de jiā.
I have been to their home.
(Literally: I have been to them both’s home.）

两 in Chinese idioms

三三两两 sānsān liǎng liǎng
Literally: Three three two two
Meaning: twos and threes

电影快开始了。人们 三三两两 地走进电影院。
Diànyǐng kuài kāishǐle, rénmen sānsānliǎngliǎng de zǒu jìn diànyǐngyuàn.
The film is about to start. People walk into the cinema in twos and threes.

两国相战, 不斩来使 liǎng guó xiāng zhàn, bù zhǎn lái shǐ
Literally: When two kingdoms are at war, they don't kill envoys
Meaning: Don’t kill the messenger

learn more Chinese idioms

When can you use either 二 èr or 两 liǎng?

There are several instances in which you could use either 二 èr or 两 liǎng in Chinese.

Numbers

When reading a number, there are certain conventions when it comes to using 二 èr versus 两 liǎng. Digits in the hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands place are correct with 二, but colloquial habit means native speakers will usually say 两. Digits in the tens and ones places must use 二 .

Let’s look at the following example:

这款项链打完折的价格为二千二百二十元。
Zhè kuǎn xiàngliàn dǎ wán zhé de jiàgé wéi èrqiān èrbǎi èrshí yuán.
The discounted price of this necklace is 2220yuan.

这款项链打完折的价格为两千两百二十元。
Zhè kuǎn xiàngliàn dǎ wán zhé de jiàgé wèi liǎng qiān liǎng bǎi èrshí yuán.
The discounted price of this necklace is 2220yuan.

The first sentence is correct and will be understood by the locals, but colloquially, native speakers are more likely to say the second sentence.

Numbers

Time

When saying the time, 二点 èr diǎn is technically correct, but native speakers tend to say 两点 liǎng diǎn. For example:

王总说今天二点钟开会。
Wáng zǒng shuō jīntiān èr diǎn zhōng yào kāihuì
President Wang said that there will be a meeting at two o'clock today.

王总说今天两点钟开会。
Wáng zǒng shuō jīntiān liǎng diǎn zhōng yào kāihuì
President Wang said that there will be a meeting at two o'clock today.

Again, the first sentence is not wrong, but the second sentence sounds more natural.

Brown watch-time ten past two

Conclusion

Although 二 èr is generally used for counting and 两 liǎng for quantifying things when saying the number “Two” in Chinese, they can also be interchangeable at times. The rules on using 二 èr and 两 liǎng in Chinese are not random, and once you know them, you will start to get a sense of when to say each of them. I hope this article brought you some clarity on the usages of 二 èr and 两 liǎng and that you now know how to say “two” in Chinese correctly.

About the Author

Juli Mboty has called China home for over 11 years where she became passionate about the Chinese culture, language, and history.

Juli Author Culture Yard