Comparing "gan" and "zuo"

干 (gàn) and 做 (zuò) are both verbs that mean "to do" as in "to do work" or "to have nothing to do." 做 can be used in both formal and informal settings, whereas 干 is used more often in informal speech and writing. A key difference between these words is that 做 also can mean "to make," whereas 干 does not have any similar usage.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	干 (gàn)	做 (zuò)
Meaning	to do	to do, to make
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	informal	flexible

:Yes

干 has some common informal set phrases

These phrases are common in informal speech and writing (such as on WeChat), so you should really know them.

Common Phrases

• 干 活 gàn huóto work
• 干 吗 gàn mato do what

Example Sentences

• 你 在 干吗？我 想 请 你 帮 我 一 个 忙。 Nǐ zài gànmá ? wǒ xiǎng qǐng nǐ bāng wǒ yī gè máng.What are you doing? I'd like to ask you to do me a favor.
• 我 干 过 很 多 活儿，但是 都 是 体力 活儿。 Wǒ gàn guo hěn duō huór , dànshì dōu shì tǐlì huór.I've done a lot of work, but it's all manual labor.
• 自行车 被 偷 了，这 是 他 干 的，不 是 我 干 的。 Zìxíngchē bèi tōu le, zhè shì tā gàn de, bù shì wǒ gàn de.The bike was stolen. It was his doing, not mine.
• 我 是 一 个 快递员，每天 要 干 十二 个 小时 的 活儿，很 累。 Wǒ shì yī gè kuàidì yuán, měi tiān yào gàn shí'èr gè xiǎoshí de huór , hěn lèi.I'm a courier and I work twelve hours a day. It's very tiring.
• 有时候 孩子 很 努力 帮 我们 干活 ， 我 会 奖励 他 一个 巧克力 。 Yǒu shíhou háizi hěn nǔlì bāng wǒmen gànhuó , wǒ huì jiǎnglì tā yī gè qiǎokèlì.Sometimes the kid works really hard to help us out. I reward him with a chocolate.

做 meaning "to do" has some common set phrases

Common Phrases

• 做 作业 zuò zuòyèto do homework
• 做 运动 zuò yùndòngto do exercises
• 做 测试 zuò cèshìto take a test
• 做 手术 zuò shǒushùto have surgery; to perform surgery

Example Sentences

• 最近 我 每天 都 做 运动。 Zuìjìn wǒ měi tiān dōu zuò yùndòng.I've been doing exercise every day lately.
• 我 没有 做 作业。 Wǒ méiyǒu zuò zuòyè.I haven't done the homework.
• 我 昨天 做 了 手术。 Wǒ zuótiān zuò le shǒushù.I had surgery yesterday.
• 做 瑜伽 可以 帮助 你 放松 心情 。 Zuò yújiā kěyǐ bāngzhù nǐ fàngsōng xīnqíng.Doing yoga helps you to relax your mind.
• 因为 有 疫情，所以 我 需要 做 核酸 测试。 Yīnwèi yǒu yìqíng, suǒyǐ wǒ xūyào zuò hésuān cèshì .Because of the pandemic I had to do a nucleic acid test.

做 and 干 are often interchangeable

Just keep in mind that 干 is only suitable for informal language. Don't replace a 做 with 干 in a formal setting!

Common Phrases

• 做 什么 / 干 什么 zuò shénme／gàn shénmeto do what

Example Sentences

• 这 是 你 干 的 吗 ？ Zhè shì nǐ gàn de ma?Did you do this?
• 你 是 做 什么 的？ asking about someone's jobNǐ shì zuò shénme de?What do you do?
• 你 周末 准备 干 什么 ？ Nǐ zhōumò zhǔnbèi gàn shénme?What are you going to do on the weekend?
• 我 相信 你们 ， 但 这 件 事 不 能 这样 做 。 Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐmen, dàn zhè jiàn shì bù néng zhèyàng zuò.I trust you, but we can't do it this way.

做 can mean "to make"

Only 做 can be used in this way, and not 干.

Common Phrases

• 做 计划zuò jìhuàto make plans
• 做 决定 zuò juédìngto make decisions
• 做爱 zuò'àito make love

Example Sentences

• 这 件 事情 需要 你 自己 做 决定。 Zhè jiàn shìqing xūyào nǐ zìjǐ zuò juédìng .You need to make this decision on your own.
• 每 次 去 旅游，我 都 会 做 计划。 Měi cì qù lǚyóu, wǒ dōu huì zuò jìhuà .Every time I go traveling, I make a plan.
• 你们 只 是 朋友 吗？你们 有 没有 做 过 爱？ Nǐmen zhǐ shì péngyou ma? Nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu zuò guo ài?Are you just friends? Have you ever made love?

做 can mean "to be"

Only 做 can be used in this way, and not 干.

Common Phrases

• 做 朋友 zuò péngyouto be friends
• 做 医生 zuò yīshēngto be a doctor

Example Sentences

• 长大 以后，父母 希望 我 做 一 个 医生。 Zhǎngdà yǐhòu, fùmǔ xīwàng wǒ zuò yī gè yīshēng.My parents hope I become a doctor when I grow up.
• 我 不 想 和 你 做 朋友。 Wǒ bù xiǎng hé nǐ zuò péngyou.I don't want to be friends with you.

Sources and further reading

Websites

• “做” 与 “干”
• 求助“做”与“干”的区别