二人

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 二人で映画を見に行く。▶ —
   We go to see a movie together.
2. 私たち二人は学生です。▶ —
   The two of us are students.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Futari (二人) is the Yamato-specific counter for two people — already learned via ni-two. The 人 counter takes Yamato readings only for 1 and 2: hitori (一人, one person / alone) and futari (二人, two people / pair). Three and up switch to on-yomi plus nin: sannin (3), yonin (4), gonin (5), and so on. The "futa-" root descends from the Yamato two (the futatsu stem). Idiomatic compounds: ninin sankyaku (two-person three-leg race, covered earlier in san — sports-day cooperation metaphor), futari-kkiri (just the two of us, emphatic), ninin-mae (two-person serving, the food-order counter), o-futari-sama (the formal "you two," used by hotels and restaurants). The couples cluster: kappuru (couple, 1980s loanword), fuufu (married couple), koibito doushi (lovers), kyoudai (siblings), oyako (parent and child). Cultural usage: wedding "futari no aratana kadode" (the two ones new departure), the magical-girl series Futari wa Pretty Cure (2004). Korean uses du myeong / dul-i, Chinese liang ge ren / lia. JLPT N5 futari learning integrates with the Yamato counter matrix (hitori, futari, sannin, yonin and beyond).

Quick check

1. Which person counts use Yamato readings in Japanese?

   • Just 1 (hitori) and 2 (futari); 3+ switch to on-yomi plus nin
   • 1-5 Yamato
   • 1-10 Yamato
   • All Yamato