make

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 作 concerns making something. 作る is read つくる, and 作品 is read さくひん.
• Basic usage: 作る is used for making things such as shelves or meals; 作文(さくぶん) refers to composition or the resulting piece of writing.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Conjugation and object
  • Mark what is made with を, as in 夕食を作る. The past form is 作った, and the connecting form is 作って.
• A work and a composition
  • 作品 covers creative works such as paintings and pottery. 作文 is narrower, referring to writing a composition or the composition itself.