时常 meaning in English

shícháng

often; frequently

HSK 5adverbTraditional 時常18 strokes

Meaning of 时常

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

shícháng

often; frequently

How to use 时常

时常 is an adverb placed before the verb to say something happens often. It sounds slightly more written or formal than 常常 (chángcháng) or 经常 (jīngcháng). Example: 他时常去图书馆看书。(Tā shícháng qù túshūguǎn kàn shū.) He often goes to the library to read.

时常 combines 时 (shí), meaning time, and 常 (cháng), meaning often or usual. Think of it as "at usual times," so something that happens time and again.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes put 时常 after the verb or at the end of the sentence, like 他去图书馆时常. It must come before the verb: 他时常去图书馆. Also do not confuse it with 有时 (yǒushí), which means only sometimes, not often.

时常 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

老lǎo人rén时shí常cháng自zì言yán自zì语yǔ。

Old people often talk to themselves.

我wǒ们men时shí常cháng发fā照zhào片piān给gěi对duì方fāng。

We often send each other pictures.

他tā走zǒu路lù时shí常cháng常cháng把bǎ一yī只zhī手shǒu插chā在zài裤kù袋dài里lǐ。

He often walks with his hand in his pocket.

汤tāng姆mǔ时shí常cháng捐juān钱qián。

Tom regularly donates money to charity.

我wǒ还hái是shì个gè小xiǎo男nán孩hái时shí常cháng去qù池chí塘táng游yóu泳yǒng。

As a boy, I used to swim in the pond.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes

常 cháng · always · 11 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 时常.

时候	shíhou	time; length of time
时间	shíjiān	(concept of) time; (duration of) time
非常	fēicháng	very; really; unusual; extraordinary
小时	xiǎoshí	hour
有时	yǒushí	sometimes; now and then
有时候	yǒushíhou	sometimes
常常	chángcháng	frequently; often
当时	dāngshí	then; at that time
正常	zhèngcháng	normal; regular
经常	jīngcháng	frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily
那时	nà shí	then; at that time
同时	tóngshí	at the same time; simultaneously

Questions about 时常

What does 时常 mean?

时常 (shícháng) means "often; frequently" and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 时常?

时常 is made of 2 characters: 时 (7 strokes), 常 (11 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.

Is 时常 an HSK word?

Yes. 时常 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 时常 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 时常 is written 時常.

What is the difference between 时常, 经常 and 常常?

All three mean often and go before the verb. 经常 and 常常 are the most common in speech, while 时常 has a slightly more literary feel. The meaning is nearly the same.

How do I make 时常 negative?

Negating 时常 directly sounds awkward. Use 不常 (bù cháng) instead, for example 我不常去 (wǒ bù cháng qù), I don't go often.