常 (cháng) · often, frequently, always

Meanings

1 often
2 frequently
3 always

Characters

常

cháng

often; common; constant

Examples

HSK 1

他常来这里。

Tā cháng lái zhèlǐ.

He often comes here.

HSK 2

我常去那家饭馆。

Wǒ cháng qù nà jiā fànguǎn.

I often go to that restaurant.

HSK 3

奶奶常给我讲过去的故事。

Nǎinai cháng gěi wǒ jiǎng guòqù de gùshi.

Grandma often tells me stories about the past.

Tips

usage

常 and 常常 are interchangeable in most cases, but 常常 has slightly more emphasis on frequency.

Components

radical

巾 jīn

cloth; towel

Bottom cloth radical, a pictograph of a cloth or towel hanging from a sash. Originally 常 referred to a long lower garment - the everyday robe a person wore day in, day out. From 'usual garment' came the modern senses often, common, regular, constant (常常, 平常, 经常). The radical anchors a textile family: 帽 (hat), 帆 (sail), 帜 (flag).

phonetic

尚 shàng

still; esteem (here phonetic)

Top 尚 supplies the sound - shàng shifted to cháng, regular Old Chinese sibilant alternation in this series. 尚 also lends a faint semantic echo of 'continuance, still going' that resonates with the often, regular, constant meaning of 常. Same phonetic family includes 尝 (taste), 偿 (repay), 党 (party), 堂 (hall) - all built on 尚.