长
long
cháng
What does 长 mean?
长 (cháng) is the everyday adjective for 'long' — used for length in space and duration in time. Spatial: 长头发 ('long hair'), 长江 ('the Long River' = Yangtze), 这条路很长 ('this road is long'). Temporal: 时间很长 ('a long time'), 长假 ('a long holiday'). The character has a second important reading — zhǎng (third tone) — which means 'to grow' (长大 'to grow up') and 'chief / oldest' (校长 'school principal,' 长子 'eldest son'). Same character, two completely separate words; readers must guess from context which one is meant.
As cháng, 长 takes the standard adjective slot and pairs with 很 ('very'), 太…了 ('too…')
Character breakdown
long (length / duration); also read zhǎng meaning 'to grow / chief'
Memory hook: Picture a single long hair stretching down — that's the original pictograph behind 长.
Example sentences
她的头发很长。
Tā de tóufa hěn cháng.
Her hair is very long.
neutral
这条路太长了。
Zhè tiáo lù tài cháng le.
This road is too long.
spoken
我等了很长时间。
Wǒ děng le hěn cháng shíjiān.
I waited a long time.
neutral
这条河有多长？
Zhè tiáo hé yǒu duō cháng?
How long is this river?
neutral
长城非常长。
Chángchéng fēicháng cháng.
The Great Wall is extremely long.
neutral
Common phrases with 长
Synonyms
Don't confuse 长 with
Same character, third tone — means 'to grow' (孩子长得快 'kids grow fast') or 'chief' (校长 'principal'). Context tells you which reading. 长大 (zhǎng dà 'grow up') vs 长江 (Cháng Jiāng 'Yangtze') — same first character, different word.
常 means 'often / usually' (常常 'often'). Same pinyin and tone as 长 (cháng), different character. 我常去 ('I often go') vs 路很长 ('the road is long'). Easy to mix up by ear.
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