Kilo Lingo

(liǎng) - two, a couple of in Mandarin

liǎng

Traditional: 兩

Line drawing of 两
Coloured illustration of 两
#1493 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

two, a couple of

Word origin

An ancient pictograph thought to depict a pair of balanced objects or a yoke, used for the number two before a measure word, as opposed to 二 in counting.

Origin
pictograph
Root
depiction of a balanced pair

Stroke order

Stroke order for 两

Examples

I have two older brothers.

Please give me two cups of tea.

The two of them are good friends.

There are two sides to this matter.

I will come again in a couple of days.

两 (liǎng) means two and is the form used before a measure word, such as 两个 (two of something), whereas 二 is used for counting and figures. It can also mean a couple of in loose usage.

Where this fits

Used in

Grammar articles

(21)

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Mandarin · Free printables

两: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "两" (two, a couple of): 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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This word is part of lesson 30.