Usage note
“手工”指用手制作的东西，比如手工卡片或手工玩具。
“Shǒu gōng” zhǐ yòng shǒu zhìzuò de dōngxi, bǐrú shǒu gōng kǎpiàn huò shǒu gōng wánjù.
“手工” refers to things made by hand, like handmade cards or handmade toys.
Context note
在学校或家里，我们经常做手工，比如折纸、剪纸或捏泥巴。
Zài xuéxiào huò jiālǐ, wǒmen jīngcháng zuò shǒu gōng, bǐrú zhézhǐ, jiǎnzhǐ huò niē níba.
At school or home, we often do handicrafts, like origami, paper cutting, or clay modeling.
5 examples
我送妈妈一张手工贺卡。
wǒ sòng mā ma yì zhāng shǒu gōng hè kǎ。
I gave Mom a handmade greeting card.
这个手工小熊是用布做的。
zhè ge shǒu gōng xiǎo xióng shì yòng bù zuò de。
This handmade little bear is made of cloth.
我们手工课上学折纸飞机。
wǒ men shǒu gōng kè shàng xué zhé zhǐ fēi jī。
In our handicraft class, we learned to fold paper airplanes.
她做了一个手工花环挂在门上。
tā zuò le yí gè shǒu gōng huā huán guà zài mén shàng。
She made a handmade wreath and hung it on the door.
弟弟喜欢收集手工小汽车。
dì di xǐ huan shōu jí shǒu gōng xiǎo qì chē。
Little brother likes to collect handmade toy cars.
5 mini stories
小红做手工，用彩纸折了一只兔子。兔子很可爱。
xiǎo hóng zuò shǒu gōng， yòng cǎi zhǐ zhé le yì zhī tù zi。 tù zi hěn kě ài。
Xiao Hong did handicrafts and folded a rabbit with colored paper. The rabbit was very cute.
小明在手工课上捏了一个泥碗。碗晒干了。
xiǎo míng zài shǒu gōng kè shàng niē le yí gè ní wǎn。 wǎn shài gān le。
Xiao Ming made a clay bowl in handicraft class. The bowl dried in the sun.
我们用手工材料做了一串风铃。风铃叮当响。
wǒ men yòng shǒu gōng cái liào zuò le yí chuàn fēng líng。 fēng líng dīng dāng xiǎng。
We used craft materials to make a wind chime. The wind chime jingled.
姐姐教我手工编织手链。我编了一条蓝色的。
jiě jie jiào wǒ shǒu gōng biān zhī shǒu liàn。 wǒ biān le yì tiáo lán sè de。
Big sister taught me to hand-braid a bracelet. I braided a blue one.
爸爸和我一起做手工木船。船在水里浮起来。
bà ba hé wǒ yì qǐ zuò shǒu gōng mù chuán。 chuán zài shuǐ lǐ fú qǐ lái。
Dad and I made a handmade wooden boat together. The boat floated in the water.
Mini dialogue
Handmade Gift
A
这个手工卡片真漂亮！
Zhège shǒugōng kǎpiàn zhēn piàoliang!
This handmade card is so beautiful!
B
谢谢，是我自己做的。
Xièxiè, shì wǒ zìjǐ zuò de.
Thank you, I made it myself.
Craft Class
A
今天手工课我们做什么？
Jīntiān shǒugōng kè wǒmen zuò shénme?
What are we making in craft class today?
B
我们做手工折纸。
Wǒmen zuò shǒugōng zhézhǐ.
We are making handmade origami.
Related words and contrasts
similar
手工艺
shǒu gōng yì
handicraft
手工 often refers to the act of making by hand; 手工艺 emphasizes the craft or art form.
similar
自制
zì zhì
homemade
自制 means made by oneself, often used for food or simple items.
opposite
机器制造
jī qì zhì zào
machine-made
手工 is handmade, while 机器制造 is made by machines.