The word "二郎神" is formed by combining the character "二" meaning "second", "郎" meaning "young man" or "son", and "神" meaning "god" or "deity". "二郎" specifically denotes "the second son", and appending "神" identifies this figure as a divine being, resulting in a term that literally translates to "the god who is the second son", referring to the mythological deity Erlang Shen.