Kanji 凡 commonplace, ordinary, mediocre Related words 平へい 凡ぼん 平凡 is the common, neutral word for 'ordinary' or 'commonplace'. 凡々 is more literary and carries a slightly negative nuance of being unremarkable or mediocre.
凡ぼん 庸よう 凡庸 means 'mediocre' or 'banal' and is more critical than 凡々 , which simply states ordinariness without strong judgment.
Written forms 凡ぼん 々ぼん Usage 95%
Rare kanji spelling using the iteration mark 々 ; the form 凡凡 is also seen.
凡ぼん 凡ぼん Usage 5%
Alternate kanji spelling without the iteration mark; equally rare.
Etymology Reduplication of 凡 (ぼん , 'ordinary, common'), emphasizing the quality of being unremarkable. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the form follows a pattern of emphatic reduplication seen in literary Japanese.
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