Word
二人
Meaning in Englishtwo people
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Word context
What it means
What does 二人 (futari) mean? It denotes exactly two people acting as a unit — for example a pair, a couple, or two participants — and is used to refer to that specific quantity of persons in everyday Japanese speech.
Main meanings
- Alternative spoken/reading used in counting contexts: 二人 (ninin) appears when using numeric counters or lists rather than the stand-alone word.
- Can imply a couple in relationship contexts, emphasizing partnership or companionship rather than just a raw number.
- Used to describe a duo or pair as a single entity (e.g., performers, teammates) rather than two separate individuals.
How to use it
Common in everyday conversation for counting or describing people (reservation for two, introducing 'the two of us', describing a pair) and appears in both casual and neutral registers; it commonly combines with particles (for example to indicate togetherness) and appears in spoken phrases to quantify people, whereas more formal or written counts may use other counters.
Variants and close terms
- 二名 (nimei) — polite counter for two people used in formal/written contexts.
- 2人 (futari) — numeric variant often seen in modern text and signage.
- 二人組 (futarigumi) — a pair/duo (emphasizes a paired group or team).
- 一人 (hitori) — one person (antonym).
Composition
- 二 (ni) — the numeral "two".
- 人 (hito, nin, jin) — "person" or "people"; together the compound expresses "two people."
Word class
noun (名詞)
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