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通常

tōng cháng
HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 5 Adjective Common

Definitions

  1. 1. regular
  2. 2. usual
  3. 3. normal
  4. 4. usually
  5. 5. normally

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Word relationships

Related words

1 item
平常
píng cháng

ordinary

adjective meaning 'ordinary' or 'usual'

Synonyms

2 items
经常
jīng cháng

frequently; constantly; regularly; often

used as an adverb meaning 'usually' or 'often'
一般
yī bān

same

used as an adverb meaning 'generally' or 'normally'

Usage notes

Collocations

通常 is often used with 来说 to mean 'generally speaking', e.g., 通常来说.

Common mistakes

通常 is an adverb meaning 'usually' and cannot be used as an adjective before nouns like 通常的情况 (use 正常的情况 instead).

Grammar

Guides that feature 通常

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1 guide
HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 6 min
老是, 通常 and 时常 for “Always,” “Usually” and “Often”

老是 complains that something keeps happening, 通常 states the normal routine, and 时常 means “often” in a slightly written tone.

Reading: tōng cháng Open guide

Example Sentences

5 shown
我们 通常 怎么称呼他？
How do we usually address him?
礼拜天我 通常 休息。
On Sundays, I usually rest.
在美国餐厅吃饭， 通常 要给小费。
In American restaurants, you usually need to leave a tip.
湯姆 通常 會騎車上學。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 10332936)
我 通常 九時睡覺。
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 350696)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 通常

常
cháng

always

通
tòng

classifier for an activity, taken in its entirety (tirade of abuse, stint of music playing, bout of drinking etc)