noun
two-timing; seeing two people romantically at the same time
Refers to dating or being romantically involved with two people simultaneously without their knowledge. Often used in the phrase 二股をかける.
彼は二股をかけているのが彼女にばれた。
He got caught two-timing by his girlfriend.
二股はやめたほうがいいよ。
You'd better stop seeing two people at once.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
fork; bifurcation; branch; dichotomy
Physical or abstract splitting into two branches. Can refer to a fork in a road, river, tree branch, or a division into two parts.
この道をまっすぐ行くと、二股に分かれています。
If you go straight down this road, it forks.
川が二股に分かれる地点。
The point where the river splits into two branches.
noun
fence-sitting; playing both sides; hedging
Metaphorical extension of the fork image: not committing to one side, trying to keep options open, or playing both ends against the middle. Often used in political or business contexts.
彼は二股をかけるような態度で、どちらの意見にも賛成している。
He's fence-sitting, agreeing with both opinions.
選挙前に二股をかけるのは有権者に嫌われる。
Fence-sitting before an election is disliked by voters.
Alternative kanji for the physical fork/bifurcation sense.
Search-only kanji-kana mixed form.
Rarely used kanji form for the physical fork/bifurcation sense.
浮気 is a broader term for cheating or infidelity, not necessarily limited to two people, while 二股 specifically means maintaining two romantic relationships simultaneously.
分岐 is a more formal or technical term for branching or divergence, used in contexts like roads, railways, or decision trees, whereas 二股 is more colloquial and often implies exactly two branches.
Compound of 二 (ふた, 'two') and 股 (また, 'crotch' or 'fork'). The original meaning is a physical fork or bifurcation, from which the metaphorical senses of romantic two-timing and fence-sitting developed.