二歩(にほ)

にほ
noun
two steps; (shogi) the illegal move of placing two pawns on the same file
quantityleisure
1. two steps; two paces (a literal pair of footsteps)
Two steps measured by walking. 歩(ほ) is the counter for steps in walking, so 二歩(にほ) = "two steps." Used both literally (two paces forward, back, or sideways) and metaphorically as a small distance or unit of progress.
二歩(にほ)下(さ)がる。
I take two steps back.
二歩(にほ)歩(ある)いて止(と)まった。
I took two steps and stopped.
彼(かれ)は二歩(にほ)前(まえ)に出(で)て、深(ふか)く頭(あたま)を下(さ)げた。
He stepped two paces forward and bowed deeply.
2. (shogi) nifu — the illegal move of placing two unpromoted pawns on the same file
In shogi (Japanese chess), 二歩(にほ) is the foul of dropping a pawn (歩(ふ)) onto a file (column) that already contains one of your unpromoted pawns. It is an immediate-loss rule violation, and is one of the most common and most embarrassing illegal moves a player can make.
将棋(しょうぎ)で二歩(にほ)を打(う)ってしまい、その場(ば)で負(ま)けてしまった。
I dropped a pawn onto a file that already had one of my pawns and lost the shogi game on the spot.
プロ棋士(きし)が二歩(にほ)で反則(はんそく)負(ま)けになった試合(しあい)が話題(わだい)になった。
A game in which a professional shogi player lost by foul because of nifu became big news.
将棋(しょうぎ)を覚(おぼ)えたばかりの初心者(しょしんしゃ)は、うっかり二歩(にほ)を打(う)ってしまうことがよくある。
Beginners who have just learned shogi often accidentally play nifu.

二歩(にほ) has two distinct uses. The everyday meaning is the literal counter expression "two steps" (二(に) "two" + the counter 歩(ほ) "step"). The specialized meaning, very familiar to anyone interested in Japanese chess, is the shogi rule violation of placing two unpromoted pawns on the same file.

COUNTER NOTES (Sense 1):
The counter 歩(ほ) ("step") inflects irregularly:

  • 一歩(いっぽ): one step (note the doubling)
  • 二歩(にほ): two steps
  • 三歩(さんぽ): three steps
  • 四歩(よんほ): four steps
  • 五歩(ごほ): five steps
  • 六歩(ろっぽ): six steps (note the doubling)
  • 七歩(ななほ): seven steps
  • 八歩(はっぽ): eight steps (note the doubling)
  • 九歩(きゅうほ): nine steps
  • 十歩(じゅっぽ): ten steps (note the doubling)
  • 何歩(なんぽ): how many steps

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (Sense 1):

SHOGI USAGE (Sense 2):

The 歩(ふ)/歩(ほ) kanji is read ふ when it refers to the shogi pawn piece itself, and ほ when used as a counter for footsteps. Despite the different on-the-spot reading, the two senses share the same kanji because the shogi name comes from the same character.

Similar / related terms

Usage

  • The shogi sense of 二歩(にほ) is well known even to non-players in Japan, since it is one of the few well-known rules of the game and frequently appears in news headlines when a professional commits one.
  • Outside the shogi context, the literal "two steps" meaning is the dominant one. Context normally makes the intended sense obvious.

Related Words

Related: 一歩(いっぽ) (one step)
Compare: 何歩(なんぽ) (how many steps)
Compare: 将棋(しょうぎ) (shogi)
Compare: 反則(はんそく) (foul / rule violation)
general
Added 2026.5.9 21:09 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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