贰

èr two (formal figures)

9 strokes

贰 (èr) is a Chinese character meaning “two — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 二, written on”. It is written from 弋 (corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow) and 二 (two) and 贝 (shell), one enclosing the other, and takes 9 strokes.

Build the character for “two, written on a cheque”

Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.

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Structure

弋 + 二 + 贝

Enclosing structure

  • 弋 corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow · yì sound
  • 二 two · èr sound
  • 贝 shell · bèi meaning

Structure from: 说文解字:貳,副益也。从貝弍聲(弍=二+弋);现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验

Memory aid

A money shell (贝) with 二 "two" stacked on top, and the corded arrow 弋 shot across the whole thing to pin it down — two, written so no one can alter it.

This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.

Stroke order

9 strokes

In real words

  • 贰拾èr shítwenty (formal figures)贰 = èr
  • 贰佰èr bǎitwo hundred (formal figures)贰 = èr
Go deeper

All readings

èr main reading

two (formal figures)

two — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 二, written on cheques, invoices and contracts

「二」的大写形式,用于支票、发票、合同等正式票据,笔画多、不易涂改。 — studyhanzi 编写

Words with this reading

  • 贰拾èr shítwenty (formal figures)贰 = èr
  • 贰佰èr bǎitwo hundred (formal figures)贰 = èr

Other characters with these parts

弋 → 代式戈武

二 → 于亏云些仁元击垂

贝 → 则厕员坝狈贞负贡

Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions

Questions people ask about this character

What does 贰 mean?

贰 (èr) means two — the anti-fraud "capital" form of 二, written on cheques, invoices and contracts.

How do you pronounce 贰?

It is pronounced èr.

What parts is 贰 made of?

弋 (corded arrow; to shoot with a retrievable arrow) and 二 (two) and 贝 (shell), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字:貳,副益也。从貝弍聲(弍=二+弋);现代字形拆分经 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.

How many strokes does 贰 have?

9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 贰?

贝. 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 贰?

Common ones are 贰拾 and 贰佰. The reading of 贰 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.