very; extremely
HSK level
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
Memory hook: 'Not ordinary' — if it's not ordinary, it must be extreme.
非常 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Browse the full episode library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
非常 is written with 19 strokes (非: 8, 常: 11). Tap replay to watch each character drawn again.
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 ('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 ('fully / very') is a written / formal alternative to 非常 — common in essays, reviews, news. Same intensity, more bookish register.
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