Meaning of 作
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to do; to engage in
- to write; to compose
- to pretend; to feign
- to regard as; to consider to be
- to be; to act the part of
- to feel (itchy, nauseous etc)
- writings; works
- (bound form) worker
- (bound form) workshop
- (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person)
How to use 作
作 is most common inside words like 工作 (gōngzuò, to work), 作业 (zuòyè, homework), and 作家 (zuòjiā, author). On its own it often means "to act as" or "to regard as," as in 把他当作朋友 (bǎ tā dàngzuò péngyou, to treat him as a friend). Example: 我今天有很多作业。(Wǒ jīntiān yǒu hěn duō zuòyè.) I have a lot of homework today.
作 has the person radical 亻 on the left and 乍 on the right. Picture a person 亻 hard at work making something, which links the shape to the meaning "to do" or "to make."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 作 and 做, which are both pronounced zuò. As a rough rule, 做 is used for concrete everyday actions like 做饭 (zuò fàn, to cook), while 作 appears in more formal or fixed words like 作业 and 作用.
作 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
作 zuò · to do · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 作.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | author |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
| 叫作 | jiàozuò | to call; to be called |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
| 合作 | hézuò | to cooperate; to collaborate; to work together |
| 作品 | zuòpǐn | work (of art); opus |
| 制作 | zhìzuò | to make; to manufacture |
| 作者 | zuòzhě | author; writer |
| 创作 | chuàngzuò | to create; to produce; to write; a creative work; a creation |
Questions about 作
What does 作 mean?
作 (zuò) means "to do; to engage in; to write; to compose" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 作?
作 is made of 1 character: 作 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 作 an HSK word?
Yes. 作 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 作 mean when it is read zuō?
Read zuō, it appears in a few bound words such as 作坊 (zuōfang, workshop). In slang it describes a troublesome, high-maintenance person, as in 她很作 (tā hěn zuō).
Is it 叫作 or 叫做?
Both forms are seen and mean "to be called." 叫作 is the form listed here, and you will meet it in sentences like 这叫作饺子 (zhè jiàozuò jiǎozi, this is called a dumpling).