Fluentide
Fluentide for iOS is out — get the app
HSK 2

非常

very; extremely

adverbneutral
非
fēi1st tone
常
cháng2nd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
fēicháng
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
19
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 非常

非常 is written with 19 strokes (非: 8, 常: 11). The animation replays automatically.

What does 非常 mean?

非常 (fēicháng) is an intensifying adverb meaning 'very / extremely,' literally 'not ordinary.'

It modifies adjectives and emotional/state verbs to mark a stronger degree than 很 (hěn): 这个菜很好吃 ('this dish is tasty') vs. 这个菜非常好吃 ('this dish is extremely tasty'). Two things differ from English 'very.' First, Chinese has a hierarchy of intensifiers — 有点 < 很 < 非常 < 特别 < 太 — and 非常 sits in the upper-middle, stronger than 很 but slightly more measured than the spoken 太...

了 pattern. Second, 非常 sounds slightly written/polished compared to the very casual 特别 (tèbié, also 'really / especially'); a Chinese teacher would likely use 非常, while close friends in casual chat might prefer 特别 or simple 很. 非常 cannot directly modify nouns or verbs of action — only adjectives and stative verbs.

Character by character

非fēinot; non-
+
常chángordinary; often
=
非常

Memory hook: 'Not ordinary' — if it's not ordinary, it must be extreme.

Example sentences

这个电影非常好看。

Zhège diànyǐng fēicháng hǎokàn.

This movie is extremely good.

neutral

我非常喜欢吃饺子。

Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan chī jiǎozi.

I really love eating dumplings.

spoken

非常感谢您的帮助。

Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù.

Thank you very much for your help.

polite

今天天气非常热。

Jīntiān tiānqì fēicháng rè.

The weather is extremely hot today.

neutral

学习汉语非常重要。

Xuéxí Hànyǔ fēicháng zhòngyào.

Studying Chinese is extremely important.

neutral

Common phrases with 非常

非常好fēicháng hǎoextremely good; very good
非常喜欢fēicháng xǐhuanto like very much
非常感谢fēicháng gǎnxièthanks very much
非常重要fēicháng zhòngyàoextremely important
非常漂亮fēicháng piàoliangextremely beautiful

Synonyms

很hěn

很 is the default intensifier 'very,' but it's so common in Chinese that it often just marks adjectives without strong emphasis. 非常 is a real 'extremely' — use it when you actually mean a stronger degree.

特别tèbié

特别 ('especially / really') is more colloquial and warmer than 非常. In speech, 特别好 sounds friendly; 非常好 sounds slightly more formal or polished.

十分shífēn

十分 ('fully / very') is a written / formal alternative to 非常 — common in essays, reviews, news. Same intensity, more bookish register.

Don't confuse 非常 with

经常jīngcháng

经常 means 'often / frequently' (frequency), not 'very' (degree). 我经常去 = 'I often go'; 我非常喜欢 = 'I really like.' Different category.

平常píngcháng

平常 means 'ordinary / usually.' Shares the character 常 with 非常, but the meaning is opposite-ish — 'ordinary' rather than 'extraordinary.'

太tài

太 + adjective + 了 ('太好了!') is a spoken exclamation, often emotional. 非常 is more measured. 'Too / so much so' vs. 'extremely.'

FAQ

Acquire it by listening

Meet 非常 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 非常 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.