How to say “always” in Chinese
always
“Always” in Chinese is 总是, zǒng shì: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
总是 is read zǒng shì: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
At the bottom, 心 — “heart”.
On top, 日 “sun”.
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 “总是”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 总是. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你怎么总是迟到nǐzěnmezǒngshìchídàoWhy are you always late?
- 我总是感冒，你有什么好方法吗？wǒzǒngshìgǎnmào,nǐyǒushénmehǎofāngfǎmaI'm always catching colds — do you know a good method?
- 他的房间总是很整齐tādefángjiānzǒngshìhěnzhěngqíHis room is always tidy.
- 他上班的时候总是系2领带tāshàngbāndeshíhouzǒngshìjìlǐngdàiHe always wears a tie to work.
- 她总是主动帮助新同事。tāzǒngshìzhǔdòngbāngzhùxīntóngshìShe always offers to help new colleagues without being asked.
- 奶奶夏天总是拿着一把扇子nǎinaixiàtiānzǒngshìnázheyìbǎshànziIn summer, grandma always has a fan in her hand.
More words from the lesson “Often, always, usually”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “always” in Chinese?
“Always” in Chinese is 总是, pinyin zǒngshì.
What does 总是 mean?
总是 (zǒngshì) means “always”.
How do you write 总是?
总是 is 2 characters: 总 (zǒng) — general, total; always; 是 (shì) — be. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 总是?
总是 is read zǒngshì. Tones: zǒng — third tone, shì — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“always” in the lesson “Often, always, usually”
This word is from the topic “Health and wrap-up” of HSK 3. 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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