😅 我有二个哥哥。 Wait… That’s Wrong?!

😅 我有二个哥哥。 Wait… That’s Wrong?!

Have you ever said:

👉 我有二个哥哥。 (Wǒ yǒu èr ge gēge.) – I have two older brothers.

It sounds okay… but wait! There’s a small mistake here that many learners make. Can you find it?

❌ What’s wrong?

In Chinese, we have two words for “two”: 二 (èr) and 两 (liǎng). They don’t always mean the same thing!

👉 When you use a measure word (like 个, 本, 只), you should use 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr).

So in our example, 二个哥哥 is wrong. It should be 两个哥哥 (liǎng ge gēge).

🛠 Let’s Fix It

Wrong sentence:

❌ 我有二个哥哥。 Wǒ yǒu èr ge gēge.


Correct sentence:

✅ 我有两个哥哥。Wǒ yǒu liǎng ge gēge.) – I have two older brothers.

    💬 More Examples

    ✅ 她买了两本书。Tā mǎi le liǎng běn shū.

    👉🏼 She bought two books.


    ✅ 我们有两只猫。Wǒmen yǒu liǎng zhī māo.

    👉🏼 We have two cats.

    🤔 When Do We Use 二 (èr) Then?

    Great question! Use 二 (èr) in these situations:

    1. Counting:

    • Example:  一, 二, 三… (yī, èr, sān...) ➔ one, two, three…

    2. Phone numbers, room numbers, ID numbers, etc.

    • Example: 我的房间是二零三。(Wǒ de fángjiān shì èr líng sān。) ➔ My room is 203.

    3. Ordinal numbers:

    • Example: 第二个学生 (dì èr ge xué sheng) – The second student

    💡 Easy Tip to Remember

    📌 Use 两 when talking about two of something (before a measure word).

    📌 Use 二 when just counting or saying numbers.

    🎯 Interactive Practice

    Can you fix the wrong sentences below?


    1. ❌ 我有二只狗。

    2. ❌ 他买了二个苹果。


    Correct answers:

    1. ✅ 我有两只狗。 Wǒ yǒu liǎng zhī gǒu.

    👉🏼 I have two dogs.

    2. ✅ 他买了两个苹果。 Tā mǎi le liǎng ge píngguǒ.

    👉🏼 He bought two apples.

    🚀 Final Reminder

    Next time you want to say “two + something,” just remember:

    👉 两 + Measure Word + Noun

    It’s a small change, but it makes a big difference in sounding natural in Chinese! 😄

    Happy learning!