常 means “usual, always”

じょう · jou

Also: ordinary, normal, common

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つね, とこ-

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ジョウ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 11 strokes

The story

Picture a shop's noren, a cloth (巾) curtain hung out the same way every single day: 常 is the usual. 日常 is everyday life, 常識 is common sense, and 非常, "not usual", is an emergency.

Used in 日常 (nichijou, everyday life), 常識 (joushiki, common sense), and 非常 (hijou, emergency)

More from Cause & Reason

• 由 reason
• 例 example
• 然 so
• 限 limit
• 非 not
• 完 complete
• 因 cause
• 当 hit
• 性 nature
• 的 target
• 要 need
• 直 straight

Learn 常 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.