双ふた子ご

also: そうし

ふ

た

ご

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

twins; twin

Refers either to the pair of children born from the same pregnancy or to one member of such a pair. Commonly used as 双子の兄, 双子の姉妹, 双子を産む, and similar expressions.

彼かの女じょは双ふた子ごを産うんだ。
She gave birth to twins.
私わたしには双ふた子ごの兄あにがいる。
I have an older twin brother.

双ふた子ごでも性せい格かくは全ぜん然ぜん違ちがう。

Even though they are twins, their personalities are completely different.

Written forms

双子Usage86%
- ふたご
  Standard and common spelling for 'twin' or 'twins'.
- そうし
  Attested alternate on-yomi reading of 双子; learners should normally read this word as ふたご.
ふたごUsage8%
Practical kana spelling, often used when a softer or easier-to-read style is preferred.
二ふた子ごUsage5%
Attested kanji spelling, uncommon for the ordinary word 'twins'.
ふた子ごUsage1%
Attested mixed kana-kanji spelling, but much less common than 双子.
そうし

Kanji

双pair, set, comparison
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
二two, two radical (no. 7)

Similar words

双そう生せい児じ
A more formal or technical word for twins; 双子 is the ordinary everyday term.
一いち卵らん性せい双そう生せい児じ
Means identical twins specifically; 双子 does not by itself specify whether the twins are identical.
二に卵らん性せい双そう生せい児じ
Means fraternal twins specifically; 双子 is the broader everyday word.

Etymology

Native Japanese reading ふたご combines the idea of 'two' with 子 'child'; the spelling 双子 conventionally represents a pair of children. The alternate reading そうし is the Sino-Japanese reading of the same characters.