# 普通
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): pǔtōng
    (Zhuyin): ㄆㄨˇ ㄊㄨㄥ
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): pou$^2$ tung$^1$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): pu$^2$ huung$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): phû-thûng
    (Hailu, HRS): pu$^ˋ$ tung$^ˋ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): pu$^1$ tung$^1$
* Eastern Min (BUC): puō-tŭng
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): pou$^3$ torng$^1$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): phó͘-thong
    (Teochew, Peng'im): pou$^2$ tong$^1$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$phu-thon
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: pǔtōng
*** Zhuyin: ㄆㄨˇ ㄊㄨㄥ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: pǔtong
*** Wade–Giles: pʻu$^3$-tʻung$^1$
*** Yale: pǔ-tūng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: puutong
*** Palladius: путун (putun)
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: pou$^2$ tung$^1$
*** Yale: póu tūng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: pou$^2$ tung$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: pou$^2$ tung$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰou̯³⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵⁵/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: pu$^2$ huung$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰu⁵⁵ hɵŋ³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phû-thûng
*** Hakka Romanization System: pu$^ˊ$ tung$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: pu$^1$ tung$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰu²⁴⁻¹¹ tʰuŋ²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: pu$^ˋ$ tung$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰu⁵³ tʰuŋ⁵³/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: pu$^1$ tung$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰu⁴⁴ tʰʊŋ⁴⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: puō-tŭng
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰuo³³⁻²¹ $^{(tʰ-)}$luŋ⁵⁵/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: pou$^3$ torng$^1$ [Phonetic: pou$^5$ lorng$^1$]
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰɔu⁴⁵³⁻²¹ $^{(tʰ-)}$lɒŋ⁵³³/
** (Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: pou$^3$ torng$^1$ [Phonetic: pou$^5$ lorng$^1$]
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰɔu³³²⁻²¹ $^{(tʰ-)}$lɒŋ⁵³³/
* 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: pou$^2$ tong$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: phóu thong
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ tʰoŋ³³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$phu-thon
*** MiniDict: phu$^去$ thon
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$phu-thon
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pʰu³³ tʰoŋ⁴⁴/

### Adjective

普通
* ordinary; plain; average; nothing special; general
    普通員工／普通员工 ― pǔtōng yuángōng ― ordinary employee; general staff
       Wǒ gēn tā zhēnde zhǐshì pǔtōng péngyǒu. [Pinyin]
       She and I are really just friends.
       Tā míngmíng nàme pǔtōng què yòu nàme zìxìn. [Pinyin]
       He's clearly so ordinary, and yet so confident.
* common; universal; widespread

#### Synonyms

* (ordinary):
* 一般 (yībān)
* 一般子 (i$^6$ ban$^1$ 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):
* 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

* (antonym(s) of “ordinary”): 奇特 (qítè), 特別／特别 (tèbié), 特殊 (tèshū)

#### Derived terms

* 普外 (pǔwài)
* 普工 (pǔgōng)
* 普普通通 (pǔpǔtōngtōng)
* 普通人 (pǔtōngrén)
* 普通利息
* 普通化 (pǔtōnghuà)
* 普通名詞／普通名词 (pǔtōng míngcí)
* 普通地圖／普通地图
* 普通外科 (pǔtōng wàikē)
* 普通感冒 (pǔtōng gǎnmào)
* 普通教育 (pǔtōng jiàoyù)
* 普通法 (pǔtōngfǎ)
* 普通病房
* 普通考試／普通考试
* 普通股
* 普通話／普通话 (pǔtōnghuà)
* 普通護照／普通护照
* 普通車／普通车
* 普通選舉／普通选举
* 普通郵票／普通邮票 (pǔtōng yóupiào)
* 普通醫師／普通医师 (pǔtōng yīshī)

#### Descendants

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

### Further reading

* “Entry #8481”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 普 | 通 |
| ふ Grade: S | つう Grade: 2 |
| goon ||

### Etymology

/putuː/ → /fut͡suː/
From Middle Chinese compound 普通 (pʰuo$^X$ thuwng, literally “ordinary + through”). Compare modern Hakka phû-thûng, Cantonese pou$^2$ tung$^1$, Mandarin pǔtōng.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ふつう [fùtsúú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɸɯ̟t͡sɨː]
* Homophone: 不通

### 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))
* common, ordinary
* (informal, in the adverbial form 普通に) Used when straightforwardly describing one's opinion.
    普通(ふつう)に美味(おい)しい
       futsū ni oishī
       just delicious
    普通(ふつう)にきもい
       futsū ni kimoi
       plain gross

#### Usage notes

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

#### Inflection

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)
* 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

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
   * 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 普 | 通 |

### Noun

普通 • (botong) (hangeul 보통)
* hanja form of 보통 (“normality; usually”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 普 | 通 |

### Adjective

普通
* chữ Hán form of phổ thông (“common, ordinary”).