Japanese Conversation · Level 3
86 words
Japanese word
一二
Pronunciation
Romajiichini
Meaning
- nounone or two
Example
質問が一二あります。shitsu mon ga ichi ni a ri ma su
I have one or two questions.
More examples
この問題には一二通りの答えがあります。ko no mon dai ni wa ichi ni tō ri no kota e ga a ri ma su
There are one or two possible answers to this question.
Core concept
It treats one and two as the endpoints of a small, deliberately imprecise quantity.
Common phrases
一二通りの答えichi ni tō ri no kota e
one or two possible answers
一二個の例ichi ni ko no rei
one or two examples
一二時間ichi ni ji kan
an hour or two
Definition in Japanese
数量が一つか二つくらいであることを表す語。sū ryō ga hito tsu ka futa tsu ku ra i de a ru ko to o arawa su go
Word origin
一二 (ichini) combines 一 (ichi, "one") and 二 (ni, "two") to express an unspecified small quantity.
Usage tips
- A speaker may use 一二 (ichini) when recalling a small number of things, such as questions or examples, without stopping to count them exactly.
Other meanings
- a couplenoun