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

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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 work.
• 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, which is 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 I would reward my child with a chocolate when he worked hard for us.

做 meaning "to do" has some common set phrases

Common Phrases

• 做 手术 zuò shǒushùto perform surgery
• 做 测试 zuò cèshìto doing tests
• 做 运动 zuò yùndòngto doing sports
• 做 作业 zuò zuòyèto doing homework

Example Sentences

• 我 昨天 做 了 手术。 Wǒ zuótiān zuò le shǒushù .I had my surgery yesterday.
• 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 my homework.
• 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 .I have to do a nucleic acid test because of the epidemic.

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？ Nǐ 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 ， 这 件 事 却 不 能 这样 做 。 Wǒ xiāngxìn nǐmen, zhè jiàn shì què bù néng zhèyàng zuò .I trust you, but this is not the way to do it.

做 can mean "to make"

Common Phrases

• 做 计划 zuò jìhuàto make plans
• 做 决定 zuò juédìngto make decisions
• 做爱 zuòài to make love

Example Sentences

• 这件事情需要你自己做决定。
• 每次去旅游，我都会做计划。
• 你们是朋友吗？还是情侣？你们有没有做过爱？

做 can mean "to be"

Common Phrases

• 做朋友
• 做医生

Example Sentences

• 长大以后，父母希望我做一个医生。
• 我不想和你做朋友。

Sources and further reading

Websites

• “做” 与 “干”
• 求助“做”与“干”的区别