常 cháng — always; ever; often; frequently; common; general
我常常去图书馆看书。Wǒ cháng cháng qù tú shū guǎn kàn shū.I often go to the library to read.
Common words: 非常 (fēi cháng)、常常 (cháng cháng)、正常 (zhèng cháng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ever"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ever", including 常 (cháng), 尝 (cháng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ever" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 常 (cháng), 尝 (cháng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters happen to share the reading cháng, so lean on the words and written forms to tell them apart. The example sentences further down show how 常 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 常 chángalways; ever; often; frequently; common; generalUseful words: 非常, 常常
- 尝 chángindicator of past tense; to taste; flavor; already; ever; onceUseful words: 尝试, 品尝
Common words for these 2 "ever" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 常 (cháng) — so "ever" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "ever".
尝 cháng — indicator of past tense; to taste; flavor; already; ever; once
你尝一尝这道菜，味道怎么样？Nǐ cháng yi cháng zhè dào cài, wèi dào zěn me yàng?Taste this dish; how does it taste?
Common words: 尝试 (cháng shì)、品尝 (pǐn cháng)、何尝 (hé cháng)
All 2 characters
Open 常、尝 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.