做

• Pinyin: zuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 做 = 亻(person) + 故 (old/cause, phonetic) — to do, to make

Meaning

To do; to make. A general-purpose verb for actions, tasks, and creating things.

One of the most versatile verbs in Chinese. Used for: doing tasks (做作业 — do homework), making things (做饭 — cook/make food), occupations (做老师 — be a teacher), and general activities (做什么 — do what?). Similar to 作, but 做 is more common in everyday spoken Chinese.

Examples

1. 你在做什么？ What are you doing?
2. 妈妈在做饭。 Mum is cooking.
3. 我每天做作业。 I do homework every day.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, work

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你今天做了什么？(What did you do today?)
• 我想学做中国菜。(I want to learn to cook Chinese food.)

Don't Say

• 我做了一个去。(Incomplete — specify what you did: 我做了一个蛋糕 for 'I made a cake')

Origin & History

Composed of 亻(person) + 故 (reason/cause, phonetic). Originally meant 'to create' or 'to act', evolving into a general-purpose verb for doing and making.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal