How to Write 廿 (niàn) — Meaning “twenty”

Picture a double scoop ice cream cone: two scoops of 'ten' stacked together make twenty. The number 20 can remind you of the shape, with the horizontal line crossing the vertical like two tens meeting.

Write 廿 with 4 strokes in this order: horizontal line (一), vertical line through it (丨), then a horizontal line underneath (一), and finally a short vertical line in the center (丨). Common mistakes include making the top horizontal too long or forgetting the short center vertical stroke at the bottom.

廿 (twenty) looks similar to 廾 (two hands) but has an extra horizontal stroke through the middle. 开 (open) has a longer bottom horizontal and a different stroke order. The key difference is 廿’s meaning of twenty, while 廾 rarely appears alone and 开 means to open.

廿 is used in formal or historical contexts, such as writing dates (e.g., 廿日 for the 20th day) or ages (廿岁 for twenty years old). It appears in Chinese literature and traditional calendars but is less common in everyday speech, where 二十 is preferred.

Common words containing 廿 include: 廿日 (niàn rì) — the 20th day of the month; 廿一 (niàn yī) — twenty-one; 廿载 (niàn zài) — twenty years.