How to Write 作 (zuō/zuò) — Meaning “to do; to make; to act”

Picture a person (亻) standing next to a workbench that looks like 乍 — with two shelves and a leg. The person is busy making something on the bench, so 作 means 'to do' or 'to make'.

Write the left radical 亻 first (left-falling stroke, then vertical), then the right part 乍: left-falling, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal. Keep the left side narrow and the right side wider. A common mistake is writing the vertical stroke in 乍 before the first horizontal — remember the order: left-falling, then horizontal, then vertical.

仔 (zǐ) uses 子 (child) on the right and means 'young' or 'careful', as in 仔细 (zǐ xì). 仕 (shì) uses 士 (scholar) and refers to an official or serving in government. 作 uses 乍 and always relates to actions like making or doing — visually, 乍 has a vertical stroke crossing two horizontal lines, unlike 子 or 士.

作 is used in everyday words like 作业 (zuò yè, homework) and 作用 (zuò yòng, effect). Note that in 作坊 (zuō fang, workshop), the pronunciation changes to zuō, reflecting a historical meaning. It's a core verb for activities, from schoolwork to professional tasks.

Common words containing 作 include: 作业 (zuò yè) — homework; task; 作用 (zuò yòng) — effect; function; role; 作坊 (zuō fang) — workshop.