. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Translingual
Stroke order
Stroke order
Han character
作 (Kangxi radical 9, 人 +5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 人竹尸 (OHS ) or 人人尸 (OOS ), four-corner 28211 , composition ⿰亻 乍 )
Derived characters
𠴚 , 𢌣 , 𢭢 , 𭦎 , 𭪌 , 𣨐 , 𤉔 , 𨓕 , 𮀟 , 𬆖 , 𧚙 , 𭫇 , 𧧻 , 𮚈 , 𧼄 , 𨁔 , 𬫛 , 𪯕 , 𫸋 , 𫯧 , 宱 , 莋 , 𤶙 , 筰 , 𨴰 , 𭁀 , 㤰
References
Kangxi Dictionary: page 99 , character 7
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 518
Dae Jaweon: page 210, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 134, character 6
Unihan data for U+4F5C
Chinese
Glyph origin
Old Chinese
作
*ʔsaːɡs, *ʔsaːɡs, *ʔsaːɡ
鲊
*ʔsraːʔ
痄
*ʔsraːʔ
厏
*ʔsraːʔ, *zraːʔ
詐
*ʔsraːɡs
咋
*ʔsraːɡs, *zraːɡ, *ʔsreːɡ
笮
*ʔsraːɡs, *zaːɡ, *ʔsraːɡ
榨
*ʔsraːɡs
炸
*ʔr'aːɡs, *zreːb
乍
*zraːɡs
拃
*ʔsraːnʔ
酢
*sʰaːɡs, *zaːɡ
祚
*zaːɡs
胙
*zaːɡs
阼
*zaːɡs
飵
*zaːɡs, *zaːɡ
秨
*zaːɡs, *zaːɡ
迮
*ʔsaːɡ, *ʔsraːɡ
柞
*ʔsaːɡ, *zaːɡ
昨
*zaːɡ
怍
*zaːɡ
砟
*zaːɡ
莋
*zaːɡ
岝
*zaːɡ, *zraːɡ
鈼
*zaːɡ
筰
*zaːɡ
葃
*zaːɡ, *zreːɡ, *zaɡ
舴
*ʔr'aːɡ, *ʔsraːɡ
窄
*ʔsraːɡ
蚱
*ʔsraːɡ
齚
*zraːɡ
泎
*zraːɡ
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声 , OC *ʔsaːɡs, *ʔsaːɡs, *ʔsaːɡ ) : semantic 亻 ( “ man ” ) + phonetic 乍 ( OC *zraːɡs) .
Etymology
Derivative: 做 (“to do”) (the departing-tone variant).
Pronunciation 1
Mandarin
(Standard )
(Pinyin ) : zuò , zuó (zuo4 , zuo2 )
(Zhuyin ) : ㄗㄨㄛˋ, ㄗㄨㄛˊ
(Chengdu , Sichuanese Pinyin ) : zo2
(Dungan , Cyrillic and Wiktionary ) : зуә (zuə, I)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou –Hong Kong , Jyutping ) : zok3
(Taishan , Wiktionary ) : dok2 / dok1
Gan (Wiktionary ) : zoh6
Hakka
(Sixian , PFS ) : chok
(Hailu , HRS ) : zog
(Meixian , Guangdong ) : zog5
Jin (Wiktionary ) : zuah4
Northern Min (KCR ) : cŏ̤
Eastern Min (BUC ) : cáuk
Southern Min
(Hokkien , POJ ) : chok / choh / chòe / chò
(Teochew , Peng'im ) : zo3 / zoh4 / zag4
Wu (Shanghai , Wugniu ) : 7 tsoq
Xiang (Changsha , Wiktionary ) : zo6
Note : zuó - variant pronunciation in
作料 .
Note : dok1 - used in
做作 (“conduct”).
Gan
Hakka
Jin
Northern Min
Eastern Min
Southern Min
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Quanzhou , Zhangzhou , Jinjiang , General Taiwanese )
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Quanzhou , Zhangzhou , Jinjiang , General Taiwanese )
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Taipei )
(Hokkien : Zhangzhou , Kaohsiung )
Note :
chok - literary;
choh - vernacular;
chòe/chò - substitute for 做 ( zuò ) .
Note :
zoh4 - vernacular;
zag4 - literary.
Rime
Character
作
作
作
Reading #
1/3
2/3
3/3
Initial (聲 )
精 (13)
精 (13)
精 (13)
Final (韻 )
模 (23)
歌 (94)
鐸 (103)
Tone (調 )
Departing (H)
Departing (H)
Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合 )
Open
Open
Open
Division (等 )
I
I
I
Fanqie
臧 祚 切
則 箇 切
則 落 切
Baxter
tsuH
tsaH
tsak
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang
/t͡suoH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Pan Wuyun
/t͡suoH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Shao Rongfen
/t͡soH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Edwin Pulleyblank
/t͡sɔH /
/t͡saH /
/t͡sak̚ /
Li Rong
/t͡soH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Wang Li
/t͡suH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Bernhard Karlgren
/t͡suoH /
/t͡sɑH /
/t͡sɑk̚ /
Expected Mandarin Reflex
zù
zuò
zuo
Expected Cantonese Reflex
zou3
zo3
zok3
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
作
作
Reading #
1/2
2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
zuò
zuò
Middle Chinese
‹ tsak ›
‹ tsuH ›
Old Chinese
/*ˁak/
/*ˁak-s/
English
do, work
do, work
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
作
作
作
Reading #
1/3
2/3
3/3
No.
16641
16653
16661
Phonetic component
乍
乍
乍
Rime group
暮
暮
鐸
Rime subdivision
0
0
0
Corresponding MC rime
佐
作
作
Old Chinese
/*ʔsaːɡs/
/*ʔsaːɡs/
/*ʔsaːɡ/
Notes
祚 原 誤 衤 旁 巾 箱 本 不 誤
乍 轉 註 字
Definitions
作
† to get up (from a place)
† to get up (in the morning) and go to work
† to begin to grow ; to come into being
† to arise ; to come about ; to happen ; to occur ; to break out
to do ; to perform ; to carry out
你 在 作 什麼 ?/ 你 在 作 什么 ? ― Nǐ zài zuò shénme? ― What are you doing ?
to work ; to exert oneself
to make ; to manufacture
to compose ; to write
作 者 ― zuò zhě ― author
你 作 緊 乜嘢 呀 ? [Guangzhou Cantonese , trad. ] 你 作 紧 乜嘢 呀 ? [Guangzhou Cantonese , simp. ] nei5 zok3 gan2 mat1 je5 aa3 ? What are you writing ?
† to brace oneself; to boost
† to feign ; to pretend
to work as; to serve as
† to build ; to construct
作 百 佛寺 ,不如 活 一人 。 [Classical Chinese , trad. and simp. ] From: 《佛說罵意經 》 (“The Sūtra Wherein the Buddha Speaks of Thoughts about Scolding”); 2nd century CE translation by An Shigao Zuò bǎi fósì, bùrú huó yīrén. Building one hundred Buddhist temples cannot compare to saving just one human life.
† to play ; to perform
† to emit ; to give out
† to start ; to launch
† to be like ; similar
† Alternative form of 詛 / 诅 ( zǔ , “ to curse ; to damn ” )
work ; composition ; article
† affair ; matter
† measure ; action
( Hokkien ) to farm ; to plow ; to till
Synonyms
做 ( zuò ) 妝 / 妆 ( 1 tsaon) ( Wenzhounese ) 幹 / 干 搞 ( gǎo ) 整治 ( zhěngzhì ) 物 ( muêh8 ) ( Teochew ) 變 / 变 ( Hokkien ) 辦 / 办 ( bàn )
犁 ( lí ) 穓 ( yì ) ( literary ) 耕 ( gēng ) 耕作 ( gēngzuò ) 耕地 ( gēngdì ) 農耕 / 农耕 ( nónggēng )
Compounds
Pronunciation 2
Definitions
作
workshop ; studio ; workroom
( neologism , originally dialectal ) contrived ; artificial ; affected ; pretentious ; dramatic ; high-maintenance
Compounds
References
Japanese
Kanji
作
(Second grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings
Compounds
Etymology 1
From Middle Chinese 作 ( tsak , “ to do, to work ” ) . Compare Cantonese 作 ( zok3 ) , Wu 作 ( 7 tsoq) .
Pronunciation 1
Noun
作( さく ) • (saku )
a work , a production ( particularly a cultural work, such as a work of art, of literature, or of theatre )
Pronunciation 2
Noun
作( さく ) • (saku )
a crop , a harvest
Etymology 2
The 連用形 ( ren'yōkei , “ continuative or stem form ” ) of verb 作る ( tsukuru , “ to make; to build; to work the land, to grow something ” ) , itself from Old Japanese .[ 2]
Pronunciation 1
Noun
作( つくり ) • (tsukuri )
the workmanship or make of something, how something is made
作( つく ) り のいい家具( かぐ ) tsukuri no ii kagufurniture of good make or workmanship , well-made furniture
make-up , dress , comportment : how one dresses and comports oneself
派手( はで ) な作( つく ) り は嫌( きら ) いだ。Hade na tsukuri wa kirai da. I dislike colorful / flashy dress .
a helping or serving of fresh sashimi , usually several slices
鮭( しゃけ ) の作( つく ) り を楽( たの ) しみにしている。Shake no tsukuri o tanoshimi ni shite iru. I'm looking forward to a helping of salmon sashimi.
Usage notes
More often spelled with the okurigana , as 作り .
Pronunciation 2
The -tsukuri changes to -zukuri as an instance of rendaku (連濁 ).
Suffix
作( づくり ) • (-zukuri )
the making of something, particularly as in cultivation
庭( にわ ) 作( づく ) り 、バラ作( づく ) りniwazukuri , barazukuri gardening / garden cultivation , rose cultivation / growing roses
Usage notes
More often spelled with the okurigana , as 作り .
References
Korean
Etymology 1
From Middle Chinese 作 (MC tsak ). Recorded as Middle Korean 작 ( cak ) (Yale : cak ) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합 ) , 1576.
Hanja
Wikisource
作 (eumhun 지을 작 ( jieul jak ) )
hanja form? of 작 ( “ composition ” )
Compounds
Compounds
걸작 (傑作 , geoljak , “masterpiece”)
망작 (亡作 , mangjak , “rubbish work”)
명작 (名作 , myeongjak , “excellent work”)
범작 (凡作 , beomjak , “average work”)
수작 (秀作 , sujak , “good work”)
시작 (始作 , sijak )
작가 (作家 , jakga )
제작 (製作 , jejak )
창작 (創作 , changjak , “creation ”)
Etymology 2
Related to Middle Chinese 做 (MC tsaH ).
Hanja
作 (eumhun 만들 주 ( mandeul ju ) )
作 (eumhun 만들 자 ( mandeul ja ) )
( literary Chinese ) Alternative form of 做 ( “ hanja form? of ] ( “ to make ” ) ” )
Etymology 3
Related to Middle Chinese 詛 (MC tsrjoH ).
Hanja
作 (eumhun 저주할 저 ( jeojuhal jeo ) )
( literary Chinese ) Alternative form of 詛 ( “ hanja form? of 저 ( “ to curse ” ) ” )
References
국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典 .
Kunigami
Kanji
作
(Second grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings
Miyako
Kanji
作
(Second grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings
Okinawan
Kanji
作
(Second grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings
Vietnamese
Han character
作 : Hán Việt readings: tác (即 ( tức ) 各 ( các ) 切 ( thiết ) )[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 5] , tố [ 3]
作 : Nôm readings: tác [ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 6] , sã [ 1]
chữ Hán form of tác ( “ to do ; to perform ; to carry out ” ) .
Compounds
References
Yaeyama
Kanji
作
(Second grade kyōiku kanji )
Readings