1.
self-made, one's own creation, DIY
Something made or created by oneself. Used for anything from computers built from parts, to poems or songs one has written, to food one has grown. Emphasizes that the creator and the user/owner are the same person.
自作のパソコンを使っている。
I'm using a computer I built myself.
自作の曲をネットで公開した。
I posted a song I wrote myself online.
友人が自作した棚は既製品よりもしっかりしている。
The shelf my friend built himself is sturdier than store-bought ones.
USAGE:
Used as a noun modifier with の (自作のパソコン) or as a suru-verb (自作する = to make/build oneself). Very common in hobbies and tech culture: 自作PC (DIY/custom-built PC) is a major hobby in Japan.
Compared to 手作り (handmade), 自作 emphasizes that you made it yourself (self as creator), while 手作り emphasizes the handcrafted method. Compared to 自家製 (homemade, house-made), 自作 focuses on personal creation while 自家製 focuses on being made at home or in-house.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 自作PC: custom-built PC
- 自作の曲: a song one wrote
- 自作自演: staging one's own work (also: creating a problem and pretending to solve it)
- 自作の野菜: vegetables one grew oneself