常 cháng
“always; ever; often”
adverb, name2021 list level 1
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
常 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 554: 常 cháng — Level 3; official annotation 3 (副). PDF page 93
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 常
常 (cháng) is a monosyllabic adverb meaning “often, frequently,” placed before a verb: 常去、常说、不常. It is more compact and slightly more written than 常常/经常, and it cannot stand alone as an answer. The separate reading Cháng is only a surname; the examples here all use the adverb reading cháng.
例句Example sentences
- 我常去图书馆看书。wǒ cháng qù tú shū guǎn kàn shū.I often go to the library to read.
- 他常说要早睡，可很少做到。tā cháng shuō yào zǎo shuì, kě hěn shǎo zuò dào.He often says he will go to bed early, but he rarely does.
- 这家咖啡馆不常开门。zhè jiā kā fēi guǎn bù cháng kāi mén.This café is not often open.
易混词Easily confused
常vs经常
经常 is more common in everyday speech and can also express “regularly”; 常 is shorter, often pairs with monosyllabic verbs, and is frequent in 不常. Do not use 常 alone as a one-word answer—use 经常 or 常常 instead.
义项All meanings
- Cháng: surname Chang
- cháng: always; ever; often; frequently; common; general