Writing
常 (cháng) — how to say "often" in Chinese
常
Often; usual
frequency adverb
How to use it
Goes before the verb.
我常去图书馆。
wǒ cháng qù tú shū guǎn
I often go to the library.
Character composition
常
often, ordinary
Radicals / Keys
巾
Turban
#50 · jīn · 3 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
常坐地铁
cháng zuò dìtiě
often take the subway
常去书店
cháng qù shūdiàn
often go to a bookstore
常喝红茶
cháng hē hóngchá
often drink black tea
Examples
他常常在图书馆学习到很晚。
He often studies in the library until late.
他常常在周末去公园散步。
He often takes a walk in the park on weekends.
Mnemonic
[cháng-] Chang the cat sat in the same spot by the window every day. He often watched birds and usually napped after lunch. "Chang, here again?" neighbors wondered, but he just purred 常. 🐈🪟
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "often" in Chinese?
"often" in Chinese is 常 (cháng).
常 meaning in English
常 (cháng) means "Often; usual".
Often in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced cháng (written as chang). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "often" in Chinese characters?
It is written 常 and has 11 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 常?
常 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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Grammar with 常
因此 — therefore, as a result
⋯⋯，因此 (yīncǐ)⋯⋯
平时 vs 平常 — usually vs ordinary
平时 (píngshí): ordinary times / 平常 (píngcháng): usually, ordinary
对 — for… with 而言
对 (duì) / 对于 (duìyú) + Topic + 而言 (ér yán)
常 / 经常 — often, frequently
Subj. + 常 (cháng) / 经常 (jīngcháng) + Verb phrase
作为 — in a role, as
作为 (zuòwéi) + Role Noun, Subject + Verb
通常 vs 时常 — usually vs often
通常 (tōngcháng) / 时常 (shícháng) + Verb/Adj.