作

zuò

Pinyin
zuò
Pinyin (Plain)
zuo
Tone
4
Strokes
7
Radical
人
Readings
zuòzuoTone: 4(bound form) worker; (bound form) workshop; (slang) troublesome; high-maintenance (person)Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 277 543 Q 314 594 356 656 Q 384 707 410 731 Q 420 741 416 757 Q 412 770 381 796 Q 353 815 332 816 Q 313 815 321 791 Q 334 757 322 729 Q 250 566 80 369 Q 70 359 66 352 Q 62 339 78 342 Q 117 346 224 478 Q 239 496 256 516 L 277 543 Z", "M 256 516 Q 260 503 268 491 Q 299 433 280 241 Q 273 187 260 131 Q 248 80 282 41 Q 283 38 286 36 Q 302 20 314 46 Q 329 86 328 131 Q 324 396 332 455 Q 339 482 330 492 Q 288 538 277 543 C 253 561 245 544 256 516 Z", "M 561 573 Q 609 657 659 762 Q 675 801 676 801 Q 664 831 619 837 Q 597 841 585 837 Q 576 833 581 820 Q 608 742 501 566 Q 498 565 497 560 Q 466 511 383 413 Q 376 406 387 405 Q 435 414 543 547 Q 544 550 547 552 L 561 573 Z", "M 652 539 Q 758 561 869 584 Q 918 596 927 603 Q 936 610 931 620 Q 924 632 894 639 Q 870 645 754 609 Q 613 579 562 574 Q 561 574 561 573 C 532 567 521 565 547 552 Q 548 552 551 550 Q 578 535 609 535 L 652 539 Z", "M 674 230 Q 673 288 674 343 Q 674 349 674 354 L 674 387 Q 675 466 681 501 Q 684 516 652 539 C 629 558 598 563 609 535 Q 642 475 617 154 Q 614 129 611 107 Q 610 76 605 60 Q 593 24 631 -34 Q 644 -53 652 -59 Q 665 -60 670 -46 Q 683 -12 679 20 Q 675 114 674 198 L 674 230 Z", "M 674 354 Q 698 363 850 385 Q 875 389 865 403 Q 853 419 825 424 Q 798 427 674 387 C 645 378 645 345 674 354 Z", "M 674 198 Q 680 197 689 198 Q 792 217 868 227 Q 896 231 885 247 Q 873 263 843 269 Q 815 273 674 230 C 645 221 644 200 674 198 Z"]
Meaning
“作” most commonly means “to do, to make, to produce” an action or thing (as in 写作 “to write,” 工作 “to work,” 创作 “to create”). It can also mean “to become / act as” (作老师 “serve as a teacher”) and appears in many set words where it keeps this general sense of doing, making, or acting.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 5/9/2026, 2:27:28 AM

Usage

The character 作 (zuò) is most commonly seen as a verb meaning “to do,” “to make,” or “to act,” often in set words and patterns rather than by itself. Learners encounter it early in core vocabulary like 工作 (gōngzuò, to work/job), 作业 (zuòyè, homework/assignments), 作家 (zuòjiā, writer), 作文 (zuòwén, composition/essay), and 小说家 / 作曲 / 作品 (novelist / compose music / work, as in a creative piece). In these, 作 keeps the sense of “doing/creating,” especially for mental or creative work rather than physical manufacturing (which more often uses 做 or 制作). Grammatically, 作 appears frequently in verb-object or modifier-noun structures. Common patterns include 把…当作… (bǎ… dàngzuò…, “to regard/treat… as…”), 装作… (zhuāngzuò…, “to pretend to be/act as…”), and 作为 (zuòwéi, “as…” in the sense of identity or role, e.g., 作为老师… “As a teacher…”). It also shows up as a formal verb “to act as / serve as” in written or official style, as in 他作代表发言 (“He spoke as the representative”). In everyday learner materials, you’ll mostly see it inside such compounds and phrases rather than as a standalone verb.

Handwriting Notes

作 is visually left-right structured: the left side is the “person” component 亻, and the right side is 乍. In ordinary handwriting, 亻 is usually written quite compact, leaning slightly to the right, and the right component becomes the visually heavier part, giving the whole character a somewhat tall and slightly right-tilted look. The top of 乍 often appears as a horizontal line with a short downward stroke, and the lower part feels like a simple stacked arrangement of strokes rather than two clearly separated “levels,” so the overall impression is of a narrow, vertically oriented character. In actual handwritten forms, the strokes are often connected or simplified: the two strokes of 亻 can get very close or even seem like a single flowing motion, and on the right, the inner angles of 乍 may be rounded and some lines not perfectly straight, especially in fast writing. Proportions vary by writer: some make 亻 relatively tall and slim, others make 乍 wider so that it visually dominates. Despite these differences, the key cues remain the 亻 on the left and the distinctive stacked structure of 乍 on the right. Modern AI-based handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such handwritten variations to correctly identify 作 even when it is written quickly or with personal stylistic quirks.

Description

作 is a common character meaning “to do, to make, to act,” as in 工作 (work) or 动作 (movement, action). It also appears in words meaning “to write/compose,” such as 作品 (literary or artistic work). In modern Chinese it is often used as a verb or as part of verb-object compounds.

Common Words

  • 作业zuò yèhomework; assignment; (also) operation, work
  • 工作gōng zuòwork; job; to work
  • 作者zuò zhěauthor; writer
  • 作用zuò yòngeffect; function; role
  • 动作dòng zuòmovement; action; motion
  • 作文zuò wéncomposition; essay (school writing)
  • 制作zhì zuòto make; to produce; production
  • 创作chuàng zuòto create (art, literature, music); creative work
  • 合作hé zuòto cooperate; cooperation
  • 写作xiě zuòto write; writing (as an activity or skill)
  • 杰作jié zuòmasterpiece
  • 佳作jiā zuòfine work; excellent piece (of writing, art, etc.)
  • 作为zuò wéias; in the capacity of; conduct; achievement
  • 作弊zuò bìto cheat (on an exam, etc.)
  • 作家zuò jiāwriter; author
  • 作风zuò fēngstyle; way of doing things; manner
  • 作梦zuò mèngto dream (while sleeping)
  • 作出zuò chūto make (a decision, judgment, apology, etc.)
  • 作曲zuò qǔto compose music; musical composition
  • 作战zuò zhànto fight; to wage war; to conduct operations
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