èr
Radical no. 72 strokes

The radical

Two

Memory hook

Two parallel horizontal strokes

The radical (read èr) means two. The HSK 3.0 data contains 9 characters and 87 words built on it — learning them together is far faster than one character at a time.

Practise the 二 radical

Study this radical's 87 words with flashcards or a quiz.

The free plan drills 15 words per radical. Upgrade to Premium

Characters with the 二 radical

9 characters

HSK 1· 3 characters

HSK 1

èr

two

five

xiē

some, a few

HSK 2· 2 characters

HSK 2

(surname) Yu

yún

cloud

HSK 3· 1 characters

HSK 3

mutually, each other

HSK 4· 1 characters

HSK 4

second, inferior

HSK 5· 1 characters

HSK 5

kuī

to lose money

HSK 6· 1 characters

HSK 6

jǐng

well (for water)

Vocabulary with the 二 radical

87 words

Words containing at least one character with the 二 radical, ordered by HSK level.

The free plan shows 9 words per HSK level (51/87 words of this radical).

一些
xiē

some; a few

èr

two

five

哪些
xiē

which ones

有一些
yǒuxiē

some; a few

这些
zhèxiē

these

那些
xiē

those

yún

cloud

多云
duōyún

cloudy

等于
děng

to equal; to be equivalent to

互相
xiāng

mutually; each other

互联网
liánwǎng

the Internet

属于
shǔ

to belong to

由于
yóu

because of; due to; owing to

相互
xiāng

mutual; mutually; each other

终于
zhōng

finally; at last

二手
èrshǒu

secondhand, used

于是
shì

thereupon, and so

五颜六色
yánliù

colorful, multicolored

亚运会
yùnhuì

Asian Games

xiē

some, a few

位于
wèi

to be located at, to be situated in

关于
guān

about, regarding

善于
shàn

to be skilled at

在于
zài

to lie in, to rest on

二维码
èrwéi

QR code

kuī

to lose money

亚军
jūn

runner-up

低于

lower than

便于
biàn

convenient for, easy for

出于
chū

to originate from, due to

大于

greater than

有利于
yǒu

beneficial to, advantageous for

用于
yòng

used for, used to

不至于
zhì

not to the point of, not so much as to

乌云
yún

dark clouds

(surname) Yu

互动
dòng

to interact, to exchange

jǐng

well (for water)

小于
xiǎo

less than; smaller than

敢于
gǎn

to dare, to have the courage to do

至于
zhì

as for, as regards

一干二净
gānèrjìng

spotlessly clean, with nothing left

三番五次
sānfān

repeatedly; again and again

不亚于

not inferior to, not at all inferior

不利于

not beneficial to

二手车
èrshǒuchē

used car, second-hand car

二氧化碳
èryǎnghuàtàn

carbon dioxide

亏损
kuīsǔn

loss; deficit

亏本
kuīběn

Run at a loss; lose money in business.

互信
xìn

mutual trust

Why learn vocabulary by the 二 radical?

The 二 radical hints at the meaning two. When you meet an unfamiliar character carrying it, you already know part of its meaning before reaching for a dictionary — which is why learners who know their radicals move faster.

How to study: read the memory hook, skim the 9 characters to spot the pattern, then drill the 87 words with flashcards. Spaced repetition brings each word back exactly when you need it.

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