常
常 — Usual
usual, ordinary, normal, common, regular, continually
On’yomiジョウ (jou)
Kun’yomiつね (tsune)
Kun’yomiとこ- (toko)
Stroke order (11 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 常
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 常務 | じょうむ joumu | managing director; executive director; routine business |
| 正常 | せいじょう seijou | normal; regular |
| 通常 | つうじょう tsuujou | usual; ordinary; normal |
| 非常 | ひじょう hijou | emergency; extreme; great |
| 常任 | じょうにん jounin | standing; regular; permanent |
| 日常 | にちじょう nichijou | everyday; daily; ordinary |
Study notes
常 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #293 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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