How to say “usually” in Chinese

通常

tōngcháng

usually

adjective · HSK 5 · topic “Time: at once and little by little”

“Usually” in Chinese is 通常, tōng cháng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

通常 is read tōng cháng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

tōng — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

cháng — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

通

tōng — go through; connect

On the left, 辶 “walk”. Inside, 甬 — as in 痛 tòng and 桶 tǒng.

常

cháng — usual, often

非常 means “unusual”, that is, “extremely”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “通常”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 通常. Tap the sound icon to listen.

我通常七点起床。wǒtōngchángqīdiǎnqǐchuángI usually get up at seven.
你周末通常做什么？nǐzhōumòtōngchángzuòshénmeWhat do you usually do on weekends?

More words from the lesson “Usually and by chance”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “usually” in Chinese?

“Usually” in Chinese is 通常, pinyin tōngcháng.

What does 通常 mean?

通常 (tōngcháng) means “usually”.

How do you write 通常?

通常 is 2 characters: 通 (tōng) — go through; connect; 常 (cháng) — usual, often. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 通常?

通常 is read tōngcháng. Tones: tōng — first tone, cháng — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“usually” in the lesson “Usually and by chance”

This word is from the topic “Time: at once and little by little” of HSK 5. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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