バツ２に

ば

つ

に

Meanings

twice divorced; two-time divorcee; two X marks (on family register)

jocular, humorousslang

Jocular slang referring to someone who has been divorced twice. The バツ (×) symbolizes a name struck from the family register; バツ２ means two such marks. Often used self-deprecatingly or humorously.

彼かれはバツ２だけど、まだ結けっ婚こんに前まえ向むきだ。
He's been divorced twice, but he's still positive about marriage.
バツ２の芸げい能のう人じんが再さい婚こんした。
A celebrity who had been divorced twice got remarried.

Kanji

二two, two radical (no. 7)
罰penalty, punishment

Related words

バツイチ
Refers to someone who has been divorced once (one × mark). バツ２ is the next step, indicating two divorces.
離り婚こん歴れき
A neutral, formal term for 'divorce history'. バツ２ is slangy and jocular, while 離婚歴 is used in official or serious contexts.

Written forms

バツ２に
Most common spelling using the numeral 2; the バツ (×) represents a strike or mark against one's name.
バツ二に
Variant using the kanji 二 for two; less common than バツ２.
罰ばつ二に
Ateji-like spelling using 罰 (punishment) for バツ; rarely used and may be confusing.
バツニ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling of the reading; used in informal writing.

Etymology

From バツ (×, 'cross mark') + ２ (two). The × symbol is used in Japanese family registers to indicate a name that has been removed, often due to divorce. The term is slang and humorous, likening divorces to accumulating 'strikes'.