(ふたり)

ふたり
noun
two people
number
1. two people
The counter for two people, using an irregular reading.
二人(ふたり)います
There are two people.
二人(ふたり)です
Two, please. (There are two of us.)
What you say at a restaurant when asked how many are in your party. 二人ください is not used.
()ども二人(ふたり)います
I have two children.
Two friends came.
Only two people can enter this room.
2. together (as a pair)
Often used to mean 'the two of us/them together.'
二人(ふたり)()べます
The two of us will eat together.
二人(ふたり)(はな)しましょう
Let's talk, just the two of us.
二人(ふたり)どこ()きます
Where are the two of you going?
二人(ふたり)(なか)いいです
The two of you get along well.
If the two of us work together, this job will finish quickly.

二人(ふたり) uses the native Japanese reading, not the on'yomi にん. This is an irregular counter that must be memorized.

Irregular people counters

Common patterns

  • 二人(ふたり): together (as a pair)
  • 二人(ふたり)とも: both of them
  • 二人(ふたり)()らし: living as a couple
  • 二人(ふたり)(): a party of two

Usage

二人(ふたり) emphasizes doing something as a pair, often implying intimacy or exclusivity: 二人(ふたり)(はな)しましょう (Let's talk, just the two of us).

More formal alternative

In service settings — restaurants, hotels, reception desks — staff count guests with the polite counter 〜名様(めいさま) instead, saying 二名様(にめいさま) for a party of two. Customers themselves normally just say 二人(ふたり)です.