The word 常常 is formed through the process of reduplication, where the single character 常 (cháng), which carries the core meaning of "often" or "frequent", is duplicated. This repetition does not create a compound from two different ideas, but instead intensifies and reinforces the original concept, resulting in a strengthened meaning of "very often" or "habitually". It is a straightforward morphological construction where the duplicated unit emphasizes continuity and regularity.