作 zuò — to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do; to make
这幅画是他的作品。Zhè fú huà shì tā de zuò pǐn.This painting is his work.
Common words: 工作 (gōng zuò)、动作 (dòng zuò)、作用 (zuò yòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to take"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to take", including 作 (zuò), 取 (qǔ), 坐 (zuò), 拿 (ná), 拍 (pāi), 吞 (tūn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to take" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 作 (zuò), 取 (qǔ), 坐 (zuò), 拿 (ná), 拍 (pāi), 吞 (tūn), 摘 (zhāi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zuò, qǔ, ná, pāi, tūn, zhāi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 作 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 作 zuòto regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do; to makeUseful words: 工作, 动作
- 取 qǔto take; to get; to choose; to fetchUseful words: 取得, 采取
- 坐 zuòto sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus; airplane etc.)Useful words: 坐下, 请坐
- 拿 náto hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to takeUseful words: 拿到, 拿出
- 拍 pāito clap; to pat; to beat; to hit; to slap; to take (a picture)Useful words: 拍照, 拍摄
Common words for these 7 "to take" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 作 (zuò) — so "to take" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
工作gōng zuòto work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work动作dòng zuòmovement; motion; action; to act作用zuò yòngto act on; to affect; action; function取得qǔ déto acquire; to get; to obtain采取cǎi qǔto adopt or carry out (measures, policies, course of action); to take取消qǔ xiāoto cancel; to call off; to revoke; to rescind坐下zuò xiato sit down请坐qǐng zuòplease, have a seat乘坐chéng zuòto take (a ship, plane etc); to ride (in a train or other vehicle)拿到ná dàoto get; to obtain
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "to take".
取 qǔ — to take; to get; to choose; to fetch
我去银行取钱。Wǒ qù yín háng qǔ qián.I went to the bank to withdraw money.
Common words: 取得 (qǔ dé)、采取 (cǎi qǔ)、取消 (qǔ xiāo)
坐 zuò — to sit; to take a seat; to take (a bus; airplane etc.)
请坐，喝杯茶吧。Qǐng zuò, hē bēi chá ba.Please have a seat and drink some tea.
Common words: 坐下 (zuò xia)、请坐 (qǐng zuò)、乘坐 (chéng zuò)
拿 ná — to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take
请帮我拿一下那本书。Qǐng bāng wǒ ná yí xià nà běn shū.Please help me get that book.
Common words: 拿到 (ná dào)、拿出 (ná chū)、拿走 (ná zǒu)
拍 pāi — to clap; to pat; to beat; to hit; to slap; to take (a picture)
我们在花前拍了几张照片。Wǒ men zài huā qián pāi le jǐ zhāng zhào piàn.We took a few photos in front of the flowers.
Common words: 拍照 (pāi zhào)、拍摄 (pāi shè)、球拍 (qiú pāi)
吞 tūn — to swallow; to take
吃东西要细嚼慢咽，不要狼吞虎咽。Chī dōng xi yào xì jiáo màn yàn, bú yào láng tūn hǔ yàn.Chew slowly when eating; do not gobble it down.
Common words: 吞咽 (tūn yàn)、吞没 (tūn mò)、并吞 (bìng tūn)
摘 zhāi — to borrow; to pick (flowers; fruit); to pluck; to take; to select
秋天到了，果园里的人们忙着摘苹果。Qiū tiān dào le, guǒ yuán lǐ de rén men máng zhe zhāi píng guǒ.Autumn has come, and people in the orchard are busy picking apples.
Common words: 摘要 (zhāi yào)、摘下 (zhāi xià)、摘由 (zhāi yóu)
All 7 characters
Open 作、取、坐 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.