作

作 · zuò

make; work; compose, write; act, perform

Entry ↗

Meanings & readings

Meaning & readings

make; work; compose, write; act, perform

Mandarin
zuò
Cantonese
zok3

Unihan definitions and selected character readings. Read the word to establish its pronunciation in context.

Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese

Readings recorded for 作 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.

Japanese 日本語

Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.

On’yomi · katakana

サクサショソ

Kun’yomi · hiragana

つくるなす

Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.

Source record & scope

Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property

サク サ ショ ソ つくる なす

Korean 한국어

Hanja readings · Hangul

작

Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.

Reading sources explained
작
KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Source record & scope

Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kHangul ↗ · provisional property

작:0E

Vietnamese Tiếng Việt

Character readings · Quốc ngữ

tác

Vietnamese readings associated with this Han character. This field alone does not establish word meanings, current usage, or a complete account of Hán-Nôm reading traditions.

Source record & scope

Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kVietnamese ↗ · provisional property

tác

Form & structure

Writing & identity

Unicode
U+4F5C
Radical
人 · 9
Strokes
7 · Unihan
Residual
5

Source record · Unihan 17.0. Individual senses and historical claims have not yet been reviewed by zimai.

Stroke order

7 strokes
作
Strokes
7
Convention
PRC · Make Me a Hanzi

7 strokes in writing order. Play to watch them, or Step through one at a time.

Modern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. Stroke medians: Make Me a Hanzi via HanziLookupJS, drawn as an even pen line.

Graphical structure

⿰亻乍(GHTJKPV)
How to read these symbols

⿰ left–right · ⿱ above–below · ⿻ overlap. Dotted boxes indicate positions, not missing characters. Each symbol describes the components that follow it; nested symbols describe a component in more detail. Source codes identify alternative analyses, not a writing sequence or an etymology.

BabelStone IDS · 2025-06-27. Region tags are preserved; 〾 marks approximation and {n} identifies an unencoded source component. These describe graphical structure, not historical derivation.

Words & connections

Words using 作

Character connections

No reverse component match in this collection.

Component roles · attributed

Source analyses, kept separate from modern IDS. CJKVI labels are not individually verified historical conclusions. Evidence & limits ↗

History & distinctions

Related forms

No simplified/traditional variant property is retained for this record.

Historical readings

Middle Chinese
tsuH · 臧祚 反切 · #2360
Middle Chinese
tsaH · 則箇 反切 · #2825
Middle Chinese
tsak · 則落 反切 · #3572

Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.

Source row & reading categories

CSV line 13535 · tsuH = 遇開一去模精 · tsaH = 果開一去歌精 · tsak = 宕開一入唐精

Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗

Sources & reference

Evidence & next depth

Source editions & exact scope ↗
Retained Unihan properties
kMandarin
zuò
kCantonese
zok3
kDefinition
make; work; compose, write; act, perform
kTotalStrokes
7
kRSUnicode
9.5
kGradeLevel
1
kTGH
2013:777

Readings across dictionaries

Hanyu Da Zidian
zuò,zuō,zuó 10134.060
Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
zuō 1550.030 · zuó 1550.080 · zuò 1553.030,1554.031
Tongyong Guifan · 2013
zuō 496.130 · zuò 497.010
Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
zuò粵zok3 zuō粵zok3
Small numbers locate dictionary entries; 粵 introduces Cantonese. Includes rare or historical readings. Source notation ↗

Reference desk

Sentences in context

Find examples using 作 ↗

The attributed sentence collection is still small; this spelling has no retained example yet.

Study this character

Structure & connections

0.10
403dictionary records using 作0forms using this shape1attributed sound links
⿰ Left / right

Shape description
亻 beside 乍 · the same shape in all seven regional standards (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam)
Source notation ^⿰亻乍$(GHTJKPV)
BabelStone · 2025-06-27. Encoded shape and region tags; graphical analysis does not establish historical function.

Decompose & trace ↗Browse all 403 word records ↗Explore sound families ↗Component search ↗
Retained descriptions & scope

^⿰亻乍$(GHTJKPV)

All alternatives are retained. Only the first description drives component search and graphical links. Counts describe this snapshot, not frequency. Evidence and method.