Dictionary › 作

作

zuò

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

What 作 means

1. to do; to engage in
2. to write; to compose
3. to pretend; to feign
4. to regard as; to consider to be
5. to be; to act the part of
6. to feel (itchy, nauseous etc)
7. writings; works

Other readings

作 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• zuōworker; workshop; troublesome; high-maintenance (person)

Example sentences

• 工作。
  Work.
• 工作！
  Work!
• 别作声！
  Don't talk!
• 自作自受。
  Zìzuòzìshòu.
  It serves you right.
• 继续工作！
  Carry on with your work.
• 他是作者。
  He writes books.

Words starting with 作

• 作者zuò zhěauthor; writer
• 作为zuò wéione's conduct; deed; activity
• 作品zuò pǐnwork (of art); opus
• 作用zuò yòngto act on; to affect; action; function; activity; impact; result; effect
• 作业zuò yèschool assignment; homework; work
• 作文zuò wénto write an essay; composition (student essay)
• 作风zuò fēngstyle; style of work; way
• 作弊zuò bìto practice fraud; to cheat; to engage in corrupt practices
• 作废zuò fèito become invalid; to cancel; to delete
• 作息zuò xīto work and rest
• 作家zuò jiāauthor
• 作出zuò chūto put out; to come up with; to make (a choice, decision, proposal, response, comment etc)
• 作战zuò zhàncombat; to fight
• 作案zuò ànto commit a crime
• 作曲zuò qǔto compose (music)
• 作曲家zuò qǔ jiācomposer; songwriter
• 作法zuò fǎcourse of action; method of doing sth; practice
• 作客zuò kèto live somewhere as a visitor; to stay with sb as a guest; to sojourn
• 作证zuò zhèngto bear witness; to testify; to serve as evidence
• 作坊zuō fangworkshop (of artisan)
• 作罢zuò bàto drop (subject etc)
• 作对zuò duìto set oneself against; to oppose; to make a pair
• 作画zuò huàto draw; to paint; to create artwork
• 作主zuò zhǔto decide; to have the final say

Words containing 作

• 工作gōng zuòto work; (of a machine) to operate; job
• 合作hé zuòto cooperate; to collaborate; to work together
• 动作dòng zuòmovement; motion; action; to act; to move
• 制作zhì zuòto make; to manufacture
• 写作xiě zuòto write; to compose; writing
• 创作chuàng zuòto create; to produce; to write; a creative work; a creation
• 操作cāo zuòto work; to operate; to manipulate
• 副作用fù zuò yòngside effect
• 著作zhù zuòto write; literary work; book
• 当作dàng zuòto treat as; to regard as
• 运作yùn zuòto operate; operations; workings
• 工作者gōng zuò zhěworker
• 看作kàn zuòto look upon as; to regard as
• 发作fā zuòto flare up; to break out
• 称作chēng zuòto be called; to be known as
• 操作系统cāo zuò xì tǒngoperating system
• 大作dà zuòyour work (book, musical composition etc) (honorific); to erupt; to begin abruptly
• 炒作chǎo zuòto hype; to promote (in the media)
• 装作zhuāng zuòto pretend; to feign; to act a part
• 叫作jiào zuòto call; to be called
• 协作xié zuòcooperation; coordination
• 工作室gōng zuò shìstudio; workshop
• 故作gù zuòto pretend; to feign
• 工作组gōng zuò zǔwork team; working group; task force

Characters built on 乍

These share the phonetic component 乍 (zhà), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 昨zuóyesterday
• 祚zuòblessing; the throne
• 酢zuòtoast to host by guest
• 怍zuòashamed
• 胙zuòto grant or bestow; sacrificial flesh offered to the gods (old); blessing
• 阼zuòsteps leading to the eastern door

Characters that look like 作

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 件jiànitem; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc
• 饰shìdecoration; ornament; to decorate
• 伟wěibig; large; great
• 诈zhàto cheat; to swindle; to pretend
• 抑yìto restrain; to restrict; to keep down
• 杵chǔpestle; to poke

Sounds the same

Read zuò, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 做to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc)
• 坐to sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus, airplane etc)
• 座seat; base; stand; (bound form) constellation
• 唑azole (chemistry)
• 祚blessing; the throne
• 酢toast to host by guest
• 怍ashamed
• 胙to grant or bestow; sacrificial flesh offered to the gods (old); blessing
• 阼steps leading to the eastern door
• 岝name of a mountain in Shandong
• 岞(used in place names); variant of 岝
• 葄straw cushion; pillow

Where 作 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of HSK 1 Characters · Set 10 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zuò correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.