The kanji 常 primarily conveys the idea of "always," "usual," "constant," "ordinary," or "regular." It signifies something that happens frequently, is not out of the ordinary, or exists continuously. It can also imply something that is common or a normal state.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジョウ (jō) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): つね (tsune), とこ- (toko-)

⚫︎日常 (nichijō) Translation: everyday; daily life ⚫︎非常 (hijō) Translation: emergency; extraordinary ⚫︎常識 (jōshiki) Translation: common sense

The kanji 常 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The top part 尚 (shō) originally meant "high" or "to value". The bottom part 巾 (kin) depicts a piece of cloth. The combination of these parts suggests something that is always held in high regard or is of constant value, hence the meaning of "always" or "constant." The character evolved over time, with the meaning of "always" becoming its primary association.