工作
こうさく · kousaku · JLPT N1 · noun
handicraft
🧶 工 (craft) + 作 (make) = handicraft: things made by hand
工 means craft or skilled work, and 作 means make. Together they give handicraft. The same compound extends to maneuvering, as in operating a machine with skill.
作 — person radical 亻 + 乍
作 combines the person radical 亻 with 乍, which originally depicted a sudden action or making something. The character means 'to do, make, or create,' with 亻 indicating human activity and 乍 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to cover works, deeds, and acting as something.