俩 (liǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “two”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 两 (two (of a pair); both), side by side, and takes 9 strokes. It has a second reading, liǎng, which turns up in 伎俩 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “the two of us”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 两
Left–right structure
Structure from: modern-glyph (现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻2 画 + 两7 画 = 9 画)
Memory aid
A person (亻) carrying the number two (两). Both parts are really in this character: 俩 is the casual way to say "two of us" — a person plus two.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 我俩wǒ liǎthe two of us; us two俩 = liǎspoken aswó liǎ
- 他俩tā liǎthe two of them俩 = liǎ
Go deeper
All readings
two (of us / of them)
two; a couple of (colloquial; equals 两个 and never takes a measure word after it)
口语里的「两个」。后面不再加量词，例如「我俩」「他俩」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 我俩wǒ liǎthe two of us; us two俩 = liǎspoken aswó liǎ
- 他俩tā liǎthe two of them俩 = liǎ
trick (only in 伎俩)
skill, trick — only used in the word 伎俩 (a ploy, an underhanded tactic)
只出现在「伎俩」一词里，指不正当的手段、花招。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 伎俩jì liǎngtrick; ploy; underhanded tactic俩 = liǎng
Sound component
两 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 俩 mean?
俩 (liǎ) means two; a couple of (colloquial; equals 两个 and never takes a measure word after it).
How do you pronounce 俩?
Its main reading is liǎ. It also has a second reading, liǎng, which only shows up in certain words such as 伎俩 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 俩 sometimes pronounced liǎng?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 伎俩 it is read liǎng.
What parts is 俩 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 两 (two (of a pair); both), side by side. The recorded source is: modern-glyph (现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：亻2 画 + 两7 画 = 9 画). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 俩 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 俩?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 俩?
Common ones are 我俩 and 他俩. The reading of 俩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.