作り (つくり) Japanese meaning

作り (つくり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

Kanji

作make, production, prepare
造create, make, structure

Related words

刺さし身みN3sense 4
刺身 is the everyday word for sashimi, while 作り is a more refined term often heard in restaurants or Kansai speech.
構こう造ぞうN2sense 1
構造 is a formal, technical word for the structure of something, whereas 作り is a more casual term for how something is made or put together.
体たい格かくN1sense 3
体格 is the standard word for physique, while 作り is a looser, more conversational way to describe someone's build.
製せいN3
作り is a native Japanese suffix for 'made' or 'construction' (as in 手作り), while 製 is the more formal, Sino-Japanese suffix used for manufactured origin.
構かまえN1
造り describes how something is built or made, while 構え focuses on the overall layout or appearance of a building.

Opposites

自し然ぜんN4sense 5
自然 describes something genuine and unforced, the opposite of 作り used as a prefix meaning artificial or put-on (作り笑い).

Politeness

お作つくりpolite 丁寧語sense 4
お作り is the polite form used in restaurants for sashimi, while plain 作り can also mean sashimi but sounds plainer.

Don't confuse with

作つくるN5
作る is the verb 'to make', while 作り is its noun form referring to the act, manner, or result of making something, and learners often mix up which okurigana to use.
作づくり
つくり is a standalone noun meaning 'construction' or 'build' (e.g. 家のつくり), while 作り(づくり) is a suffix attached to another noun to mean 'the making of' or 'the style of' that thing.

Word family· 72

作つくり方かた
way of making; construction; workmanship · recipe; how to make (food) · how to grow; cultivation method
手て作づくりN2
handmade; handcrafted; homemade
作つくり出だす
manufacture; produce; raise (crops) · invent; dream up; create (abstract)

Written forms

作つくりUsage64%
General kanji for making, structure, build, and appearance. High frequency in news.
造つくりUsage27%
Often used for large-scale construction, brewing, or manufacturing. Also common in news.
つくりUsage9%
Kana spelling used when the intended kanji nuance is not important or in casual writing.
ツクリUsage<1%

Etymology

Noun form of the verb 作る (to make), derived from the continuative stem (連用形). The kanji 作 is used broadly for creation, while 造 emphasizes large-scale or industrial production.

作つくり

Meanings

Usage patterns