常用

• Pinyin: cháng yòng
• Hanzi breakdown: 常 (cháng) — often, frequent; 用 (yòng) — use, employ

Meaning

Commonly used; frequently used. Describes things that are used often in daily life.

An adjective-verb compound indicating something is used regularly. Often applied to words, tools, methods, or software. Similar in structure to 常见 but focuses on usage rather than observation.

Examples

1. 这些是中文里最常用的五百个字。 These are the five hundred most commonly used characters in Chinese.
2. 手机是我们最常用的工具。 The mobile phone is our most commonly used tool.
3. 请记住这几个常用的句子。 Please remember these commonly used sentences.

Usage Guide

Context: education, tools, technology, language learning

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 你好是最常用的中文问候语。(Hello is the most commonly used Chinese greeting.)
• 这个软件很常用。(This software is commonly used.)

Don't Say

• Do not confuse 常用 with 好用 — 常用 means 'frequently used' while 好用 means 'easy to use.' A tool can be 常用 but not 好用, and vice versa.

Origin & History

Compound of 常 (often, frequent) and 用 (use). Literally 'frequently used.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal