(zuò jiā) - writer, author in Mandarin
zuòjiāTraditional: 作家
Translation
writer, author
Word origin
A compound of 作 (zuò, to make, to compose) and 家 (jiā, house, and by extension a master of a craft). The 家 suffix builds professions across the language, as in 画家 and 音乐家.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 作 (zuò, to compose) + 家 (jiā, master of a craft)
Stroke order
作
家
Examples
。
She is a very well known writer.
。
This writer has written many novels.
。
When I was small I wanted to be a writer.
。
The author of that book is still very young.
。
Several writers are signing books in the bookshop.
作家 (zuò jiā) is a writer in the professional, literary sense: someone whose books are their trade. The measure word is 位 when you are being respectful and 个 when you are not.
The 家 suffix is worth collecting. It marks the expert in a field, so 画家 is a painter, 音乐家 a musician, 科学家 a scientist. That makes 作家 something of a title, and Chinese speakers do not hand it out to anyone who happens to have written something.
The trap is 作者. 作者 is the author of a particular text, whoever wrote the thing in front of you, including a blog post or a report. 作家 is a person's profession. The author of an email is its 作者 and never its 作家. Note also that 作业 (zuò yè), sharing the same first character, is homework.
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作家: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "作家" (writer, author): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.