Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 が 二ふた つある there are two of something
There are two apples on the desk.
〈 物もの 〉 を 二ふた つに 分わ ける to split something into two parts
We split the cake into two and ate it.
二ふた つ 返へん 事じ で 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something readily/without hesitation
He readily agreed to take on the job.
Kanji 二 two, two radical (no. 7) Don't confuse with 二つ is the native Japanese counting word used for two general objects (二つあります ), while 二 is the Sino-Japanese numeral used in compound numbers, counters, and formal contexts (二時 , 二番 ).
二つ simply means 'two things', while 真っ二つ specifically describes something being cut or broken exactly in half, not just a count of two.
二つ means simply 'two (of something)', whereas 二つ目 means 'the second one' in a sequence, so they must not be swapped despite looking almost identical.
Written forms 二ふた つ
Standard kanji spelling for the numeral 'two' in the native Japanese counting system.
2ふた つ
Arabic numeral spelling, common in informal writing and digital contexts.
Etymology Native Japanese numeral, from Old Japanese. The form ふたつ consists of the root ふた (two) and the generic counter つ .
Report an issue with this page
Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.