‘习惯’ (xí guàn) means ‘habit’ — a regular, often unconscious behavior or practice developed through repetition. The first character 习 (xí) means ‘to learn’ or ‘to become familiar with’, and the second 惯 (guàn) means ‘to be accustomed to’ or ‘to be used to’. Together, they convey the idea of something one has learned so well through repeated action that it becomes automatic. It’s commonly used to describe personal routines (e.g., brushing teeth), cultural norms (e.g., removing shoes indoors), or long-standing customs.

This word functions as a noun in most contexts and can be modified by adjectives like ‘好’ (good) or ‘坏’ (bad), as in ‘好习惯’ (good habit) or ‘坏习惯’ (bad habit). It also appears in verb-like structures such as ‘养成习惯’ (to develop a habit) or ‘改掉习惯’ (to break a habit). Unlike verbs, 习惯 itself is not conjugated — tense and aspect are expressed through auxiliary words or context.