常 (cháng): always, ever, often, frequently, common, general
常 (cháng) is a Chinese character meaning “always.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 尚 (phonetic) and 巾 (semantic). It ranks #187 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 常 cloth. Its radical form 巾 (cloth) appears in many related characters such as 师 (shī, teacher), 帮 (bāng, to help), 市 (shì, market).
Definitions
- always
- ever
- often
- frequently
- common
- general
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 常 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 常
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 非常adverb | fēi cháng | very | 1 |
| 正常adjective | zhèng cháng | normal | 4 |
| 经常adverb | jīng cháng | frequently | 2 |
| 通常adjective/adverb | tōng cháng | regular | 5 |
| 异常adjective/adverb | yì cháng | unusual | 6 |
| 常常adverb | cháng cháng | frequently | 3 |
| 平常adjective/noun | píng cháng | ordinary | 4 |
| 日常adjective | rì cháng | day-to-day | 4 |
| 常规noun/adjective | cháng guī | code of conduct | 6 |
| 常见adjective | cháng jiàn | commonly seen | 3 |
| 时常adverb | shí cháng | often | 5 |
| 常识noun | cháng shí | common sense | 5 |
| 常用adjective | cháng yòng | in common usage | 3 |
| 家常noun | jiā cháng | the daily life of a family | 6 |
| 常年adverb/noun | cháng nián | all year round | 6 |
| 常温noun | cháng wēn | room temperature | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 寻常adjective | xún cháng | usual |
| 往常noun | wǎng cháng | usual |
| 失常adjective | shī cháng | not normal |
| 反常adjective | fǎn cháng | unusual |
| 常客noun | cháng kè | frequent visitor |
| 常人noun | cháng rén | ordinary person |
| 不同寻常phrase | bù tóng xún cháng | out of the ordinary |
| 常理noun | cháng lǐ | common sense |
| 照常adverb | zhào cháng | as usual |
| 无常adjective | wú cháng | variable |
| 非同寻常 | fēi tóng xún cháng | (idiom) extraordinary |
| 常春藤noun | cháng chūn téng | ivy |
| 家常便饭 | jiā cháng biàn fàn | simple home-style meal |
| 习以为常phrase | xí yǐ wéi cháng | accustomed to |
| 人之常情 | rén zhī cháng qíng | human nature (idiom) |
常 appears in 101 compound words: 54 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 常 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (25)
Showing 12 of 25 idioms containing 常.
Example Sentences
他经常去图书馆看书，一待就是一整天。
Tā jīngcháng qù túshūguǎn kàn shū, yī dài jiùshì yī zhěng tiān.
He often goes to the library to read books, staying for a whole day.
非常AI的一年 2026从剧场、美术馆到文学...
fēi cháng A I de yī nián 2 0 2 6 cóng jù chǎng , měi shù guǎn dào wén xué . . .
A very AI year 2026 From theaters, art galleries to literature...
...邮轮有“离船症候群”?30-60岁女性最常见
. . . yóu lún yǒu lí chuán zhèng hòu qún ? 3 0 6 0 suì nǚ xìng zuì cháng jiàn
... Cruise ships have "off-board syndrome", which is most common in women aged 30-60
...市休闲服 9m88柯炜林演绎科技布料的日常穿搭
. . . shì xiū xián fú 9 m 8 8 柯 炜 lín yǎn yì kē jì bù liào de rì cháng chuān dā
... City casual wear 9m88 Ke Weilin interprets the daily wear of technological fabrics
欧元区2025年12月季调后经常帐录得顺差145...
ōu yuán ōu nián yuè jì diào hòu jīng cháng zhàng lù dé shùn chā . . .
The eurozone's December 2025 quarterly current account recorded a surplus of 145...
古镇烟火与家常珍味,每一家餐厅都是精选丨寻味青浦
gǔ zhèn yān huǒ yú jiā cháng zhēn wèi , měi yī jiā cān tīng dū shì jīng xuǎn 丨 xún wèi qīng pǔ
The best way to get the most out of your life is to go to a restaurant where you can enjoy the best of what you've got to offer, and you'll be able to do it all in one place.
你经常去国外旅行吗？
Nǐ jīngcháng qùguówài lǚxíng ma?
Do you often travel abroad?
你通常什么时候起床？
Nǐ tōngcháng shénmeshíhou qǐchuáng?
What time do you usually get up?
你常常跟他见面吗？
Nǐ chángcháng gēn tā jiànmiàn ma?
Do you meet him often?
你常常收到他的音讯吗？
Nǐ chángcháng shōudào tā de yīnxùn ma?
Do you often hear from him?
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 巾 (cloth) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 常 (cháng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 常 and 党?
How many strokes does 常 have?
What is the radical of 常?
What are the components of 常?
What are common words containing 常?
What characters sound the same as 常 (cháng)?
Is 常 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 常 with real-time feedback
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