常

常 (Kangxi radical 50, 巾+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 火月口中月 (FBRLB), four-corner 9022₇, composition ⿱𫩠巾 or ⿱龸吊)

• 𭂝, 𠼔, 嫦, 𫺺, 𣻸, 𣙟, 𣰎, 龦, 瑺, 𫀠, 𮈼, 蟐, 𮖫, 𭋠, 鏛, 𫙲, 𭀕, 𩀯, 𫷓, 𪄹, 𢊥, 𫉒, 𤹰, 㦂

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 333, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 8955
• Dae Jaweon: page 639, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 744, character 1
• Unihan data for U+5E38

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *djaŋ) : phonetic 尚 (OC *djaŋ, *djaŋs) + semantic 巾 (“cloth”).

The character originally referred to "lower garment", before being phonetically borrowed to mean "long-lasting; frequently". The original sense is now represented by the character 裳 (OC *djaŋ, “lower garment”).

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan; perhaps related to Tibetan ཡང (yang, “again, once more”) (Schuessler, 2007).

常

1. normal; general; common

   常人  ―  chángrén  ―  common people

   人之常情  ―  rénzhīchángqíng  ―  human nature

   非常  ―  fēicháng  ―  extraordinary

   習以為常／习以为常  ―  xíyǐwéicháng  ―  to be accustomed to (something)

2. constant; invariable

   常駐／常驻  ―  chángzhù  ―  to be stationed in

   • 疆埸之邑，一彼一此，何常之有？ [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Jiāngyì zhī yì, yī bǐ yī cǐ, hé cháng zhī yǒu? [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 聖人無常心，以百姓心為心。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     圣人无常心，以百姓心为心。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE

     Shèngrén wú cháng xīn, yǐ bǎixìng xīn wéi xīn. [Pinyin]

     The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind.

3. often; frequently

   經常／经常  ―  jīngcháng  ―  often

   • 世有伯樂，然後有千里馬。千里馬常有，而伯樂不常有。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     世有伯乐，然后有千里马。千里马常有，而伯乐不常有。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 8th–9th century, Han Yu, 雜說四

     Shì yǒu Bólè, ránhòu yǒu qiānlǐmǎ. Qiānlǐmǎ cháng yǒu, ér Bólè bù cháng yǒu. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 鳳姐兒聽了，不覺的眼圈兒又紅了，道：「我得了閒兒，必常來看你。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     凤姐儿听了，不觉的眼圈儿又红了，道：「我得了闲儿，必常来看你。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Cao Xueqin, Dream of the Red Chamber, mid-18^th century CE

     Fèng Jiěr tīng le, bùjiào de yǎnquānr yòu hóng le, dào: “Wǒ dé le xiánr, bì cháng lái kàn nǐ.” [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

4. (literary) law and order

   三綱五常／三纲五常  ―  sāngāngwǔcháng  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. (literary) law; rule; regular pattern

   • 天行有常，不為堯存，不為桀亡。應之以治則吉，應之以亂則凶。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     天行有常，不为尧存，不为桀亡。应之以治则吉，应之以乱则凶。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Tiān xíng yǒu cháng, bù wèi Yáo cún, bù wèi Jié wáng. Yìng zhī yǐ zhì zé jí, yìng zhī yǐ luàn zé xiōng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

6. an ancient unit of length equivalent to two xuns (尋／寻)
7. 51st tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "constancy" (𝌸)
8. a surname

   常遇春  ―  Cháng Yùchūn  ―  Chang Yuchun (Ming dynasty general)

常

1. (Southern Min) Only used in 常在.

常

1. (Southern Min) indolent; sloppy

• “常”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01175
• “Query for 常”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Hokkien and Mandarin), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. eternal, unchanging
2. ordinary, usual
3. continuation
4. Hitachi Province

• Go-on: じょう (jō, Jōyō)^{←じやう (zyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: しょう (shō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}
• Kun: きだ (kida, 常); つね (tsune, 常, Jōyō); とこ (toko, 常, Jōyō); とことわ (tokotowa, 常); とわ (towa, 常)
• Nanori: つら (tsura); とき (toki); ときわ (tokiwa)^{←ときは (tokifa, historical)}; のぶ (nobu); ひ (hi); ひさ (hisa); ひさし (hisashi); ひた (hita)

• 常陸(ひたち) (Hitachi)

/d͡ʑau/ → /d͡ʑɔː/ → /d͡ʑoː/

From Middle Chinese 常 (MC dzyang).

• (Tokyo) じょ​ー [jóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑo̞ː]

常(じょう) • (jō) ^{←じやう (zyau)?}

1. (obsolete) always, constantly, consistently

常(じょう) • (jō) ^{←じやう (zyau)?}

1. a traditional Japanese unit of length, equal to one 丈 (jō, roughly three meters) and three 尺 (shaku, roughly one foot or thirty centimeters)

*⟨ki₁da⟩ → */kʲida/ → /kida/

First attested in the Kojiki (712 CE).

Cognate with root kiza in 刻む (kizamu, “to mince; to slice; to cut a thing into pieces; to groove, to nick, to notch”).[1]

Also sometimes read as kita.

• 段

• IPA^(key): [kʲida̠]

常(きだ) or 常(きた) • (kida or kita) 

1. (obsolete) a traditional Japanese unit of measure for the length of cut cloth, equal to one 丈 (jō, roughly three meters) and three 尺 (shaku, roughly one foot or thirty centimeters)
2. (obsolete) a traditional Japanese unit of measure for the area of an agricultural field or paddy, equal to either 360 歩 (bu, around 1190 square meters), later reduced to 300 歩 (bu)/坪 (tsubo, almost 992 square meters)

   Synonym: 段 (tan)

常(きだ) • (-kida) 

1. counter for cuts or strips of something

/tune/ → /t͡sune/

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū, compiled around 759 CE.[1] May be cognate with 綱 (tsuna, “thick rope; binding”), with underlying ideas of "connection, continuance".

• 恒

• (Tokyo) つ​ね [tsúꜜnè] (Atamadaka – [1])[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨᵝne̞]

常(つね) • (tsune) -na (adnominal 常(つね)な (tsune na), adverbial 常(つね)に (tsune ni))

1. (obsolete) eternal, permanent, consistent
2. (obsolete) normal, everyday, regular, usual, ordinary

   Synonyms: 普段 (fudan), 普通 (futsū), 平素 (heiso)

This appears as an adjective in older texts with the classical attributive form tsune naru. When used attributively in modern Japanese, this term is used with the particle の (no) instead:

• 常(つね)の人(ひと)

  tsune no hito

  everyday people, regular people

Modern Japanese does still use this term as an adverb, with particle に (ni):

• このカメラは常(つね)にオンになっている。

  Kono kamera wa tsune ni on ni natte iru.

  This camera is always on.

• あの会社(かいしゃ)はサービスが常(つね)に悪(わる)い。

  Ano kaisha wa sābisu ga tsune ni warui.

  That company has consistently bad service.

• 常体(つねたい) (tsunetai)
• 常々(つねづね) (tsunezune), 常常(つねづね) (tsunezune)
• 経常(けいつね) (keitsune)

常(つね) • (tsune) 

1. constancy, continuance
2. the ordinary, the everyday

⟨to₂ko₂⟩ → */təkə/ → /toko/

From Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with 時 (toki, “time”).

The way the term is used in the historical record suggests that this was originally a noun. By the time of written Japanese, however, this term only appears in compounds, never on its own, and its usage is more as an adjective to modify other nouns.

• IPA^(key): [to̞ko̞]

常(とこ) • (toko-) 

1. eternal, forever, unchanging, everlasting

Only used in compounds. Attaches to nouns and other nominals, often (but not always) with the now-obsolete possessive particle つ (tsu).

• 常(とこ)つ御(み)門(かど)、常(とこ)夏(なつ)、常(とこ)とわ

  toko tsu mikado, tokonatsu, tokotowa

  the eternal palace, eternal summer, eternal permanence [→ eternity]

/tokotoba/ → /tokotowa/

From Old Japanese. Read as tokotoba until the Heian period.[1][2]

Appears to be originally a compound of 常 (toko, “eternal”, see above) +‎ とわ (towa, “permanence, unchangingness”, from earlier とば toba).

This latter element is of unclear derivation. Some sources[1] indicate that towa as an independent term arose as a contraction of earlier tokotoba, suggesting the possibility that toba was initially a compound of particles と (to, adverbial particle) + は (wa, formerly ba, even earlier pa; topic particle). However, other sources[4] describe tokotowa as an intensified or emphatic form of towa.

• 常とわ, 恒とわ, (rare) 永久

• (Tokyo) とことわ [tòkótówá] (Heiban – [0])[4]
• (Tokyo) とこと​わ [tòkótóꜜwà] (Nakadaka – [3])[4]
• IPA^(key): [to̞ko̞to̞ɰᵝa̠]

常(とことわ) • (tokotowa) ^{←とことは (tokotofa)?}-na (adnominal 常(とことわ)な (tokotowa na), adverbial 常(とことわ)に (tokotowa ni))

1. (archaic, rare) permanent, eternal

   Synonym: 常しえ (tokoshie)

2. (archaic, rare) usual, ordinary

   Synonym: 常 (tsune)

Listed in dictionaries[1][2][5] as a 形容動詞 (keiyō dōshi, “-na adjective”). However, actual usage suggests that this was only used with particle に (ni) as an adverb, and never with particle な (na) or classical なる (naru) as an adjective. When this appears attributively, it is followed by particle の (no),[4] the usual construction when using a noun to modify another noun.

常(とことわ) • (tokotowa) ^{←とことは (tokotofa)?}

1. (archaic, rare) permanence, eternity

   Synonym: 常しえ (tokoshie)