Basic is x and exponent is 2

The base is $x$ and the exponent is 2.

When the base is $x$ and the exponent is 2, the expression is written as $x^2$.

This means $x$ is multiplied by itself 2 times.

For example, if $x=5$, then $x^2 = 5^2 = 5 \times 5 = 25$.