便 biàn — ordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; then
这里交通很方便。Zhè lǐ jiāo tōng hěn fāng biàn.The transportation here is very convenient.
Common words: 便宜 (biàn yí)、方便 (fāng biàn)、随便 (suí biàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "ordinary"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "ordinary", including 便 (biàn), 凡 (fán), 庸 (yōng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "ordinary" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 便 (biàn), 凡 (fán), 庸 (yōng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span biàn, fán, yōng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 便 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 便 biànordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; thenUseful words: 便宜, 方便
- 凡 fánordinary; every; all; whatever; worldlyUseful words: 凡是, 平凡
- 庸 yōngordinary; to useUseful words: 庸俗, 中庸
Common words for these 3 "ordinary" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 便 (biàn) — so "ordinary" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
便宜biàn yíconvenient方便fāng biànconvenient; suitable; to facilitate; to make things easy随便suí biànas one wishes; as one pleases; at random; negligent凡是fán shìeach and every; every; all; any平凡píng fáncommonplace; ordinary; mediocre非凡fēi fánout of the ordinary; unusually (good, talented etc)庸俗yōng súvulgar; tacky; tawdry中庸zhōng yōnggolden mean (Confucianism); (literary) (of person) mediocre; ordinary庸人yōng rénmediocre person
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 3 ways to say "ordinary".
凡 fán — ordinary; every; all; whatever; worldly
凡事都要认真对待。Fán shì dōu yào rèn zhēn duì dài.One should take everything seriously.
Common words: 凡是 (fán shì)、平凡 (píng fán)、非凡 (fēi fán)
庸 yōng — ordinary; to use
这部电影内容庸俗，没什么意思。Zhè bù diàn yǐng nèi róng yōng sú, méi shén me yì si.This movie is vulgar in content and not very interesting.
Common words: 中庸 (zhōng yōng)、庸人 (yōng rén)、平庸 (píng yōng)
All 3 characters
Open 便、凡、庸 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.