karaniwang

Karaniwang is a Filipino word that conveys the sense of being ordinary, familiar, or typical. It can function as an adjective describing nouns, as in phrases like karaniwang tao (an ordinary person), karaniwang araw (a usual day), or karaniwang pagkain (common or everyday food). It also serves as an adverb meaning usually or generally, used to indicate frequency or typicality in a statement, such as karaniwang umuulan tuwing tag-ulan (it usually rains during the rainy season).

As an attributive or predicative modifier, karaniwang emphasizes what is normal or typical in a given context. It helps distinguish what is common or expected from what is unusual or exceptional. The term is widely used across formal and informal Filipino, appearing in everyday speech, journalism, and education.

In terms of grammar, karaniwang is often paired with nouns to form the meaning of commonality, and it can modify verbs and clauses when used adverbially. For example, karaniwang ginagawa natin ang ganitong paraan (we usually do it this way) conveys frequency or customary practice. The word can also appear in compound expressions such as karaniwang problema (a common problem) or karaniwang gawain (a routine activity).

Etymology traces karaniwang to the root karaniwan, which denotes commonness or ordinary nature. The form karaniwang results from the inflection used to connect the root to other words, aligning with Tagalog morphology for adjectives and adverbs.

See also: karaniwan, kaugalian, ugali.