普通

Chinese

		general; popular; everywhere general; popular; everywhere; universal	go through; know well; to connect go through; know well; to connect; to communicate; open
trad. (普通)		普	通
simp. #(普通)		普	通

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pǔtōng

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄨˇ ㄊㄨㄥ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): pou² tung¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): pu² huung¹

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): phû-thûng
• Eastern Min (BUC): puō-tŭng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): phó͘-thong

  (Teochew, Peng'im): pou² tong¹

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵phu-thon

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pǔtōng
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄨˇ ㄊㄨㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pǔtong
    • Wade–Giles: pʻu³-tʻung¹
    • Yale: pǔ-tūng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: puutong
    • Palladius: путун (putun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: pou² tung¹
    • Yale: póu tūng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: pou² tung¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: pou² tung¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰou̯³⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: pu² huung¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu⁵⁵ hɵŋ³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phû-thûng
    • Hakka Romanization System: pu´ tung´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: pu¹ tung¹
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰu²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰuŋ²⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: puō-tŭng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰuo³³⁻²¹ ^(tʰ-)luŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: phó͘-thong
    • Tâi-lô: phóo-thong
    • Phofsit Daibuun: phoftofng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pʰɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pʰɔ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ tʰɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pʰɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pʰɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ tʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pʰɔ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ tʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: pou² tong¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: phóu thong
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ tʰoŋ³³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵phu-thon
    • MiniDict: phu^去 thon
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²phu-thon
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pʰu³³ tʰoŋ⁴⁴/

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) 普通

1. ordinary; plain; average; nothing special

   我跟她真的只是普通朋友。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Wǒ gēn tā zhēnde zhǐshì pǔtōng péngyǒu. [Pinyin]

   She and I are really just friends.

2. common; universal; widespread

Synonyms

• (ordinary):

(deprecated template usage)

• 一般 (yībān)
• 一般子 (i⁶ ban¹ zr) (Xiang)
• 俗 (Xiamen Hokkien)
• 凡庸 (fányōng)
• 尋常／寻常 (xúncháng)
• 對頭／对头 (chiefly in the negative)
• 平凡 (píngfán)
• 平常 (píngcháng)
• 平庸 (píngyōng)
• 平板 (píngbǎn)
• 平淡 (píngdàn)
• 正常 (zhèngcháng)
• 泛泛 (fànfàn)
• 簡單／简单 (jiǎndān)
• 通常 (tōngcháng)

 

• (common):

(deprecated template usage)

• 共通 (gòngtōng)
• 廣／广
• 廣泛／广泛 (guǎngfàn)
• 普遍
• 泛濫／泛滥 (fànlàn) (archaic)
• 流行 (liúxíng)
• 遍 (literary, or in compounds)

 

Antonyms

• (ordinary): 奇特 (qítè), 特別／特别 (tèbié), 特殊 (tèshū)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (普通):

• → Japanese: 普(ふ)通(つう) (futsū)
• → Korean: 보통(普通) (botong)
• → Vietnamese: phổ thông (普通)

Further reading

• “Entry #8481”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
普	通
ふ Grade: S	つう Grade: 2
on’yomi

Etymology

/putuː/ → /fut͡suː/

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese compound 普通 (pʰuo^X thuwng, literally “ordinary + through”). Compare modern (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Hakka phû-thûng, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Cantonese pou² tung¹, (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Mandarin pǔtōng.

Adjective

普(ふ)通(つう) • (futsū) -na (adnominal 普(ふ)通(つう)な (futsū na), adverbial 普(ふ)通(つう)に (futsū ni))

1. common, ordinary

Usage notes

The form 普通の is replacing 普通な in modern Japanese. See the usage notes below.

Inflection

Inflection of 普通

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	普通だろ	ふつうだろ	futsū daro
Continuative (連用形)	普通で	ふつうで	futsū de
Terminal (終止形)	普通だ	ふつうだ	futsū da
Attributive (連体形)	普通な	ふつうな	futsū na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	普通なら	ふつうなら	futsū nara
Imperative (命令形)	普通であれ	ふつうであれ	futsū de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	普通ではない 普通じゃない	ふつうではない ふつうじゃない	futsū de wa nai futsū ja nai
Informal past	普通だった	ふつうだった	futsū datta
Informal negative past	普通ではなかった 普通じゃなかった	ふつうではなかった ふつうじゃなかった	futsū de wa nakatta futsū ja nakatta
Formal	普通です	ふつうです	futsū desu
Formal negative	普通ではありません 普通じゃありません	ふつうではありません ふつうじゃありません	futsū de wa arimasen futsū ja arimasen
Formal past	普通でした	ふつうでした	futsū deshita
Formal negative past	普通ではありませんでした 普通じゃありませんでした	ふつうではありませんでした ふつうじゃありませんでした	futsū de wa arimasen deshita futsū ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	普通で	ふつうで	futsū de
Conditional	普通なら（ば）	ふつうなら（ば）	futsū nara (ba)
Provisional	普通だったら	ふつうだったら	futsū dattara
Volitional	普通だろう	ふつうだろう	futsū darō
Adverbial	普通に	ふつうに	futsū ni
Degree	普通さ	ふつうさ	futsūsa

Noun

普(ふ)通(つう) • (futsū) 

1. the common, the ordinary, nothing special

Usage notes

As a noun, it is usually used with the possessive particle の (​no), which makes it function as an adjective.

普通 is widely used for a variety of purposes. For example, to display modesty, one can use it respond to flattery (“oh, I’m nothing special”). Similarly, if a restaurant is okay, but not particularly noteworthy, it can be described as 普通.

普通 is also used in various conventional senses – a 普通列車 is a local train (as opposed to the 特急列車 or “special express train”), while an average student is a 普通の学生 (futsū no gakusei).

See also

• 凡才(ぼんさい) (bonsai): mediocrity, ordinary ability

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

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Korean

Hanja in this term
普	通

Noun

普通 • (botong) (hangeul 보통)

1. Hanja form^? of 보통 (“normality; usually”).

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
普	通

Adjective

普通

1. Template:han tu form of