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 "general"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "general", including 常 (cháng), 共 (gòng), 普 (pǔ), 概 (gài), 泛 (fàn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "general" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 常 (cháng), 共 (gòng), 普 (pǔ), 概 (gài), 泛 (fàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span cháng, gòng, pǔ, gài, fàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. 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
- 共 gòngall together; in while; to share; common; general; togetherUseful words: 一共, 公共汽车
- 普 pǔgeneral; popular; everywhere; universalUseful words: 普通, 普通话
- 概 gàigeneral; approximateUseful words: 大概, 概念
- 泛 fànbroad; vast; float; pan-; float; generalUseful words: 广泛, 泛滥
Common words for these 5 "general" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 常 (cháng) — so "general" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
非常fēi chángvery; really; unusual; extraordinary常常cháng chángfrequently; often正常zhèng chángnormal; regular一共yī gòngin total; altogether公共汽车gōng gòng qì chēbus共同gòng tóngcommon; joint; jointly; together普通pǔ tōngcommon; ordinary; general; average普通话pǔ tōng huàPutonghua; standard Mandarin普遍pǔ biànuniversal; general; widespread; common大概dà gàiroughly; probably; rough; approximate
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 5 ways to say "general".
共 gòng — all together; in while; to share; common; general; together
这本书一共有三百页。Zhè běn shū yí gòng yǒu sān bǎi yè.This book has three hundred pages in total.
Common words: 一共 (yī gòng)、公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē)、共同 (gòng tóng)
普 pǔ — general; popular; everywhere; universal
现在智能手机已经很普及了。Xiàn zài zhì néng shǒu jī yǐ jīng hěn pǔ jí le.Smartphones are now very widespread.
Common words: 普通 (pǔ tōng)、普通话 (pǔ tōng huà)、普遍 (pǔ biàn)
概 gài — general; approximate
这本书我大概看了一半。Zhè běn shū wǒ dà gài kàn le yí bàn.I have read about half of this book.
Common words: 大概 (dà gài)、概念 (gài niàn)、概括 (gài kuò)
泛 fàn — broad; vast; float; pan-; float; general
微风吹过，湖面泛起一圈圈波纹。Wēi fēng chuī guò, hú miàn fàn qǐ yì quān quān bō wén.A breeze blew, and ripples spread across the lake.
Common words: 广泛 (guǎng fàn)、泛滥 (fàn làn)、宽泛 (kuān fàn)
All 5 characters
Open 常、共、普 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.