操作 (cāo zuò) — to work in Mandarin
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#1292 most common word · HSK 6 · CEFR C1
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
操作 is pronounced cāo zuò. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Zhè tái jīqi hěn fùzá, xūyào zhuānyè rényuán cáinéng zhèngquè cāozuò.
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 操作 mean?+
操作 (cāo zuò) means "to work" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 操作?+
操作 is pronounced cāo zuò. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 操作 in Mandarin?+
操作 is the #1292 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 操作 fits
Every HSK 6 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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