作
make, do, work
At a glance · 作
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
作字小篆从人乍声，为形声字；本义为起身、起，引申为制作、作为。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
作本义为兴起、制作，引申为工作、作为。
Structure
形声字，左部『人』为意符，右部『乍』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinzuò
Radical亻
Strokes7
UnicodeU+4F5C
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
make, do, work
Zuo is a phonetic-semantic character meaning to rise, make and do.
Français
faire, travailler
Zuo est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant se lever, faire et travailler.
Español
hacer, trabajar
Zuo es un carácter fonosemántico que significa levantarse, hacer y trabajar.
العربية
يصنع، يعمل
تسوو حرف صوتي دلالي يعني النهوض والصنع والعمل.
Русский
делать, работать
Цзо — фоносемантический знак, означающий вставать, делать и работать.
Common words
- 工作gōng zuòwork
- 作用zuò yòngeffect