常 meaning and stroke order
Always; ever; often
How to write 常, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 常
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- always
- ever
- often
- frequently
- common
- general
How 常 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Cloth.
巾 gives the meaning and 尚 hints at the sound.
Radical: 巾 (cloth), shared by 53 characters on this site.
How to remember 常
常 is built from 尚 (shàng) on top, which gives the sound, and 巾 (jīn, cloth) below, which gives the meaning. Picture a plain piece of cloth that people use every day, so 常 means something common, normal, and frequent.
常 appears mostly in words like 常常 (chángcháng, often), 经常 (jīngcháng, regularly), 正常 (zhèngcháng, normal), and 非常 (fēicháng, very). Example: 我常常喝茶。(Wǒ chángcháng hē chá.) I often drink tea.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 常 with 堂 (táng, hall) and 党 (dǎng, party), which share the same top part. Check the bottom: 常 has 巾, 堂 has 土, and 党 has 儿.
Common words with 常
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 非常 | fēicháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary | HSK 1 |
| 常常 | chángcháng | frequently; often | HSK 1 |
| 正常 | zhèngcháng | normal; regular | HSK 2 |
| 经常 | jīngcháng | frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily | HSK 2 |
| 平常 | píngcháng | ordinary; common | HSK 2 |
| 常见 | cháng jiàn | commonly seen; common | HSK 2 |
| 常用 | cháng yòng | in common usage | HSK 2 |
| 通常 | tōngcháng | regular; usual; normal; usually; normally | HSK 3 |
| 日常 | rìcháng | day-to-day; daily; everyday | HSK 3 |
| 常识 | chángshí | common sense; general knowledge | HSK 4 |
| 时常 | shícháng | often; frequently | HSK 5 |
| 异常 | yìcháng | unusual; abnormal; extremely; exceptionally | HSK 6 |
| 常规 | chángguī | code of conduct; conventions; common practice; routine (medical procedure etc) | HSK 6 |
| 常年 | chángnián | all year round; for years on end | HSK 6 |
常 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 常
Learning 常 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 常
How many strokes are in 常?
常 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 常 mean?
常 (cháng) means always; ever; often. A common word with it is 非常 (fēicháng), meaning "very; really; unusual; extraordinary".
How do you pronounce 常?
常 is pronounced cháng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 常?
The radical of 常 is 巾, which carries the idea of "cloth". Dictionaries list 常 under this radical.
Is 常 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 常 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 常常 and 经常?
Both mean often and can usually swap. 经常 sounds a little more formal and suggests something regular or habitual. 常常 is very common in everyday speech.
Why does 非常 mean very if 常 means normal?
非 means not, so 非常 literally means not normal or extraordinary. Over time it became the everyday word for very, as in 非常好 (fēicháng hǎo, very good).