Comparing the two "zuo"

做 (zuò) and 作 (zuò) are both verbs that can be easily confused because both mean “to do” and are pronounced identically. While these both mean “to do,” the use of these two words is different and rarely interchangeable. 做 is used very commonly both in informal and formal contexts, whereas 作 is used only in specific formal situations.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	做 (zuò)	作 (zuò)
Meaning	to do (work), to make (food, friends)	(mostly for parts of other words)
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	flexible	formal

:Yes

Use 做 "to do" work or "to make" things

Common Phrases

In the following examples only 做 can be used.

• 做 饭
• 做 生意
• 做 运动
• 做 工作

Example Sentences

• 我不常点外卖，经常自己做饭。
• 今天的作业我做完了。
• 做运动让人心情很愉快。
• 我今天做了一天工作。
• 你平常喜欢做什么？

Use 做 for “to be” certain roles

Common Phrases

• 做妈妈
• 做老师
• 做律师
• 做朋友

Example Sentences

• 她有了自己的孩子，她做妈妈了。
• 你是做什么的？
• 我的朋友是做律师的。
• 他做了十年老师了。

Use 作 only as parts of other words

作 as a standalone word used to be more common

It's true that 作 was once more commonly used instead of 做. You might see stuff like this:

• 作 报告zuò bàogàoto make a report
• 作 测试zuò cèshìto take a test
• 作 比较zuò bǐjiàoto make comparisons
• 作 回应zuò huíyìngto respond
• 作 演讲zuò yǎnjiǎngto make a presentation

But nowadays 做 is preferred for all of these uses. You might see 作, but you don't need to use it yourself.

Example Sentences

• 那个 正在 作 报告 的 人 是 谁？Nàge zhèngzài zuò bàogào de rén shì shéi?Who is the person who is making the report?
• 我们 明天 要 给 这个 新 的 系统 作 一 次 测试。Wǒmen míngtiān yào gěi zhège xīn de xìtǒng zuò yī cì cèshì.We are giving this new system a test tomorrow.
• 你 不 要 总是 把 自己 的 孩子 和 别人 的 孩子 作 比较。Nǐ bù yào zǒngshì bǎ zìjǐ de háizi hé biérén de háizi zuò bǐjiào.You don't always have to compare your own children with other people's children.
• 关于 这件 事 他们 还 没 作 回应，我们 需要 再 等 一下。Guānyú zhè jiàn shì tāmen hái méi zuò huíyìng, wǒmen xūyào zài děng yīxià.They haven't responded about this yet, we need to wait a bit longer.

作 is most commonly seen as part of other words

In the following examples only 作 can be used, but it's not a standalone word here, it's simply a building block (called a morpheme in linguistics).

• 工 作gōng zuòwork
• 作 业zuò yèassignments
• 作 文zuò wénessay
• 作 者zuò zhěwriter
• 作 弊zuò bìto cheat
• 作 案zuò ànto commit a crime

Sources and further reading

Websites

• “做”和“作”的区别？