二 èr vs 两 liǎng
Both 二 and 兩 mean “two,” but they’re not interchangeable. The easiest way to remember it: 两 means “a quantity of two” and goes right before a measure word — everywhere else, use 二.
一 The Core Rule
If a measure word follows, use 两. If you’re just counting, use 二.
(12 uses 二, not 兩 — it really means “a quantity of twelve,” not “a quantity of two.”)
二 Counting Larger Numbers
10,000 counts as a measure word too — just like “hundred” and “thousand” in English — so bigger round numbers usually take 两. This is also one of the few places where Taiwan and mainland habits genuinely differ.
| Number | Mainland | Taiwan |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 二 èr | 二 èr |
| 20 | 二十 èrshí | 二十 èrshí |
| 200 | 两百 liǎngbǎi or 二百 èrbǎi | liǎngbǎi |
| 2,000 | 两千 liǎngqiān or 二千 èrqiān | liǎngqiān |
| 20,000 | 两万 liǎngwàn | liǎngwàn |
| 22,222 | 两万二千二百二十二 liǎngwàn èrqiān èrbǎi èrshí’èr | liǎngwàn liǎngqiān liǎngbǎi èrshí’èr |
Nobody seems to be fully sure why the mainland sometimes says 二百 instead of 两百 for 200 specifically — if you know why, that’s a fun rabbit hole to go down.
三 Telling Time
The hour uses 两, since 点 acts like a measure word here. Minutes just use 二.
四 二 for “Second”
For ordinal numbers (first, second, third…), always use 二 — never 两.
五 二月 vs 两个月
These look similar but mean completely different things.
六 Common Mistakes
❌ 二個个人
✅ 兩個人两个人
A measure word (个) follows, so it needs 两, not 二.
❌ 兩十两十 (trying to say “20”)
✅ 二十
十 (ten) isn’t a measure word — it’s part of counting, so this needs 二, not 两.
❌ 二點点 (trying to say “2:00”)
✅ 兩點两点
点 works like a measure word for the hour, so the hour needs 两 — this is different from the minutes, which use 二.
七 Practice
Pick 二 or 两 to complete each phrase.
____個个人 (two people)
____十 (20)
____本書书 (two books)
____號号 (the number 2)
____點点 (2:00)
第____個个 (the second one)
____歲岁 (2 years old)
十____歲岁 (12 years old)
____月 (February)
____個个月 (two months)
