The character 作 — “do”: how to write it and what it means
do; work
The Chinese character 作 is read zuò and means “do; work”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 作
作 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 作, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 作 is made of
On the left, 亻 “person”.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 作
- 工作work; to workHSK 1
- 作业homeworkHSK 3
- 工作日workday, weekdayHSK 3
- 作文composition, essayHSK 4
- 作用role, effectHSK 4
- 作为as, in the capacity ofHSK 4
- 作品work (of art)HSK 4
- 作家writerHSK 4
- 作者authorHSK 4
- 叫作be calledHSK 4
- 动作movement, actionHSK 4
- 写作writing (compositions)HSK 5
- 当作regard as, treat asHSK 5
- 看作look upon asHSK 5
- 操作operate (a machine)HSK 5
- 合作cooperateHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 作?
作 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 作 mean?
作 means “do; work”. It appears in 工作 (“work”), 作业 (“homework”), 工作日 (“workday”), 作文 (“composition”).
How do you pronounce 作?
作 is read zuò. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 作 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 作 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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