凡 meaning and stroke order
Ordinary; commonplace; mundane
How to write 凡, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 凡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- ordinary
- commonplace
- mundane
- temporal
- of the material world (as opposed to supernatural or immortal levels)
- every
How 凡 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A plate or flat dish; an everyday item.
Radical: 几 (small table), shared by 9 characters on this site.
How to remember 凡
The frame 几 (jī) looks like a small table, and the dot 丶 inside is one plain thing sitting on it. The data describes 凡 as a plate or flat dish, an everyday item, so think of it as something ordinary that every home has.
凡 appears mostly in compounds like 平凡 (píngfán, ordinary), 非凡 (fēifán, extraordinary) and 凡人 (fánrén, mortal). As 凡是 (fánshì) it starts a sentence meaning "all, any" and is often followed by 都 (dōu). Example: 凡是学生都可以参加。(Fánshì xuésheng dōu kěyǐ cānjiā.) All students can take part.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 凡 with 几 (jǐ) or 丸 (wán). 凡 has its dot inside the 几 frame, while 丸 has a different stroke shape that crosses the frame. Also keep the second tone in fán, not fàn as in 饭.
Common words with 凡
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 平凡 | píngfán | commonplace; ordinary | HSK 6 |
| 凡是 | fánshì | each and every; every; all; any | HSK 6 |
| 非凡 | fēifán | out of the ordinary; unusually (good, talented etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 凡人 | fánrén | ordinary person; mortal | |
| 凡事 | fánshì | everything | |
| 超凡 | chāofán | out of the ordinary; exceedingly (good) | |
| 下凡 | xiàfán | (of immortals) to descend to the human world | |
| 自命不凡 | zìmìngbùfán | to think too much of oneself; self-important | |
| 不凡 | bùfán | extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional | |
| 不同凡响 | bùtóngfánxiǎng | lit. not a common chord (idiom); outstanding; brilliant | |
| 凡间 | fánjiān | the secular world |
凡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 凡
Learning 凡 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 凡
How many strokes are in 凡?
凡 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 凡 mean?
凡 (fán) means ordinary; commonplace; mundane. A common word with it is 平凡 (píngfán), meaning "commonplace; ordinary".
How do you pronounce 凡?
凡 is pronounced fán, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 凡?
The radical of 凡 is 几, which carries the idea of "small table". Dictionaries list 凡 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 凡?
The traditional form of 凡 is 凢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 凡 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 凡 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 凡 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 凡是 and 所有?
凡是 (fánshì) begins a clause and sets a condition, "anything that is X," and usually pairs with 都 later. 所有 (suǒyǒu) simply modifies a noun, as in 所有的人 (all the people).
Why does 凡 relate to gods and immortals in some words?
凡 can mean the mortal, earthly world as opposed to the realm of immortals. That is why 下凡 (xiàfán) means an immortal coming down to the human world, and 凡人 (fánrén) can mean a mortal.