The character 常 — “usual”: how to write it and what it means
usual, often
The Chinese character 常 is read cháng and means “usual, often”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 常
常 has 11 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 常, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 常 is made of
非常 means “unusual”, that is, “extremely”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 常
- 非常extremelyHSK 1
- 经常oftenHSK 2
- 常常often, frequentlyHSK 3
- 常见common, often seenHSK 3
- 常用commonly usedHSK 3
- 正常normalHSK 4
- 平常ordinary; usuallyHSK 4
- 日常daily, everydayHSK 4
- 通常usuallyHSK 5
- 时常often (lit.)HSK 5
- 常识common sense, general knowledgeHSK 5
- 家常everyday matters; homestyle (food)HSK 6
- 常年all year round; year after yearHSK 6
- 常温room temperatureHSK 6
- 异常unusual; extremelyHSK 6
- 常规common practice; standardHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 常?
常 has 11 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 常 mean?
常 means “usual, often”. It appears in 非常 (“extremely”), 经常 (“often”), 常常 (“often”), 常见 (“common”).
How do you pronounce 常?
常 is read cháng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 常 have?
11 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 常 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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