Usage patterns 作さっ 家か になる to become a writer
He quit his company job and became a writer.
作さっ 家か として 活かつ 躍やく する to be active/successful as a writer
She has been a successful writer for many years.
作さっ 家か デビューする to make one's debut as a writer
He made his debut as a writer while he was a university student.
Kanji 作 make, production, prepare Related words· 11 著者 refers formally to the author of a specific book or document, while 作家 is the broader term for someone who writes or creates as a profession.
小説家 narrows the meaning to 'novelist', whereas 作家 can cover writers of any genre or even artists more generally.
文筆家 is a slightly formal term emphasizing someone who makes a living by writing (essays, articles, etc.), while 作家 more strongly suggests creative or literary works like novels.
物書き is a casual, sometimes self-deprecating way to say 'writer', while 作家 is the neutral, respectful standard term.
Show 7 more Show fewer 作家 is a general term for a writer or author, while 文豪 specifically denotes a great, historically significant literary figure.
作家 is the formal word for an author or novelist, while ライター is a casual loanword for writers of articles, copy, or content.
作家 is the general word for a professional writer or author, while 漫画家 specifically means someone who creates manga.
作家 is the everyday word for a professional writer or novelist, while 文学者 emphasizes scholarly engagement with literature.
作家 is a broad term for any professional writer (novels, essays, etc.), whereas エッセイスト specifically denotes someone who writes essays.
作家 refers to someone who is professionally a novelist or writer, while 作者 simply names whoever created a specific work, regardless of occupation.
作家 usually refers specifically to a writer or novelist, while クリエイター covers a much wider range of creative or digital professions.
Word family· 19 authorial identity; distinctive style as a writer/creator
playwright; dramatist
great writer; major writer
popular writer; popular author
biographer
Show 5 more Show fewer buying because you're a fan of the author
scriptwriter; playwright; screenwriter
dōjin writer; fanfiction writer; coterie author
woman writer; female author
tragic dramatist; tragedy writer
See all 19 in Explore →
Etymology From Middle Chinese 作家 (tsak kæ), meaning 'to make a home' or 'to manage a household', later extended to 'one who creates' in Japanese. The modern sense of 'author' or 'artist' developed in the Meiji period.
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