Meaning & readings
pair, set, comparison, counter for pairs
On’yomi ソウ
Kun’yomi ふた、たぐい、ならぶ、ふたつ
Nanori ふ
Origin
This character shows two identical components stacked or arranged side by side, each representing a hand or arm. By doubling the hand symbol, the character visually expresses the idea of "two" or "a pair"—two hands together, or two of something matching. This direct visual representation of multiplicity through repetition is how the meaning "pair" or "set" came to be associated with the character's shape.
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 4
- Kangxi radical
- 29
- Formation type
- Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #1029 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+053CC