Abstract: The discovery of graphene motivated a boom in the exploration of novel twodimensional (2D) Dirac materials. Such materials with electronic band structures characterized by Dirac-cone-like linear dispersion are considered to be an ideal platform for the development of new physics and the realization of novel ultrahigh speed, low power consumption nano-devices. We first review the history of 2D Dirac materials, then focus on four representative types of mate‐ rial from the perspective of spin-orbit coupling. Finally, we present a brief summary and prospects of related research fields.