作る vs 造る
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
Both are read つくる and both mean "make". 作る is the general, everyday one — food, plans, time, small objects. 造る is reserved for making large physical things and for brewing: ships, bridges, buildings, sake. When you are unsure, 作る is the safe default, and many writers use it for everything.
When to use each
作る
つくる
The default spelling. Use it for cooking, crafts, documents, rules, groups, time, and anything abstract. It is the only one of the two taught at N5 and the only one that covers non-physical things.
母がケーキを作りました。
ははがケーキをつくりました。
My mother made a cake.
時間を作って会いに行きます。
じかんをつくってあいにいきます。
I'll make time and go to see them.
造る
つくる
Use 造る for building large physical structures — ships, bridges, roads, gardens — and for brewing or distilling sake, beer and soy sauce. It is a writing choice, not a different word: the sound and the grammar are identical.
川に新しい橋を造る。
かわにあたらしいはしをつくる。
They're building a new bridge over the river.
この蔵では昔ながらの方法で酒を造っている。
このくらではむかしながらのほうほうでさけをつくっている。
This brewery makes sake by traditional methods.
Sentences where only one works
友だちと朝ご飯を作りました。
ともだちとあさごはんをつくりました。
I made breakfast with a friend.
Food is everyday making, so 作る. 造る would read as a typo here.
この会社は船を造っています。
このかいしゃはふねをつくっています。
This company builds ships.
Large-scale construction is where 造る is standard, though 作る would still be understood.
新しいルールを作りましょう。
あたらしいルールをつくりましょう。
Let's make a new rule.
Abstract things can only be 作る — 造る is limited to physical construction and brewing.
Common mistakes
計画を造ります。
計画を作ります。
Learners reach for 造る whenever the thing sounds important. The split is about physical scale, not importance, so anything abstract takes 作る.
作る and 造る conjugated as if they were different verbs.
Both are つくる, う-verbs: 作った / 造った, 作ります / 造ります.
The choice is only which kanji you write. In speech there is no difference at all.
Frequently asked questions
If I always write 作る, will it look wrong?
Rarely. 作る is the broader, far more common spelling and many writers use it even for buildings and sake. 造る is the more precise choice in those cases, not the only correct one.
What about 創る?
It is also つくる and suggests creating something that did not exist before — art, a new culture. It is a stylistic spelling outside standard usage, so you will meet it in slogans more than in ordinary writing.
Do I need 造る for the JLPT?
Not at N5 or N4 — only 作る is taught there. 造る turns up later in compounds such as 建造 and 製造.