普通 (pǔ tōng) is an adjective meaning 'ordinary' or 'common' — describing something that is typical, standard, or not special or unusual. The character 普 means 'universal' or 'widespread', while 通 means 'to pass through' or 'general; all-encompassing'; together, they convey the idea of something widely accepted or shared by most people. It’s frequently used to describe everyday objects, routines, people, or situations — for example, a 普通家庭 (ordinary family) or 普通工作 (regular job).

This word carries a neutral, descriptive tone — it’s neither positive nor negative, though context can shade its connotation (e.g., calling someone 普通 might imply 'unremarkable', but in phrases like 普通話 it simply means 'standard'). It commonly appears before nouns (e.g., 普通学生) and can also follow 是 or 很 (e.g., 这很普通). Unlike some synonyms, 普通 rarely functions as a noun on its own.