(liǎ) - two (people), both, the two of them in Mandarin
liǎTraditional: 倆
Translation
two (people), both, the two of them
Word origin
俩 means two people or both, a fusion of 两 (liǎng, two) and 个 (gè, the measure word). It carries the 亻 'person' radical with the phonetic 两 (liǎng); simplified from 倆.
- Origin
- phono-semantic compound
- Root
- 亻 (person radical) + 两 (liǎng, phonetic); fusion of 两个
Stroke order
俩
Examples
。
The two of us are good friends.
。
The two of them had an argument.
？
Where are you two going?
。
The two of them grew up together from childhood.
。
The two of us will go to a film tomorrow.
俩/俩 (liǎ) is a colloquial contraction of 两个 (liǎng ge, two of them) used specifically for people. It is informal and typically follows a pronoun to form a dual: 我俩 (we two), 你俩 (you two), 他俩 (those two). Unlike 两个 it cannot be used for objects and is not used in formal writing. In northern Mandarin speech it is very common as a concise way of referring to a pair of people.
Where this fits
Used in
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俩: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "俩" (two (people), both, the two of them): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 12.