Meaning of 作家
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- author
Measure word: 個|个,位
How to use 作家
作家 is the everyday word for a writer, especially of novels, stories, or essays. It is used as a profession, like 医生 or 老师. Example: 我想当作家。(Wǒ xiǎng dāng zuòjiā.) I want to be a writer.
作 (zuò) means to make or create, and 家 (jiā) can mean a person who is an expert in a field. A 作家 is a person whose craft is making written works.
Common mistake: Learners often write 做家 because 做 (zuò) and 作 (zuò) sound the same, but the word is always 作家. Also, 家 here does not mean home, so do not read it as "working at home".
作家 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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家 jiā · home · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 作家.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 国家 | guójiā | country; nation; state |
| 家里 | jiā li | home |
| 家人 | jiārén | family member; (old) servant |
| 在家 | zàijiā | to be at home; (at a workplace) to be in (as opposed to being away on official business 出差 |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 大家 | dàjiā | everyone; influential family |
| 家庭 | jiātíng | family; household |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 科学家 | kēxuéjiā | scientist |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
Questions about 作家
What does 作家 mean?
作家 (zuòjiā) means "author" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 作家?
作家 is made of 2 characters: 作 (7 strokes), 家 (10 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 作家 an HSK word?
Yes. 作家 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 作家 and 作者?
作者 (zuòzhě) means the author of one specific work, like the author of this article. 作家 (zuòjiā) is a person whose job or identity is being a writer.
Why does 家 appear in other job words?
家 can mark someone skilled in a field, as in 画家 (huàjiā) painter and 科学家 (kēxuéjiā) scientist. Seeing 家 at the end of a word often signals an expert or professional.