This is the 2583rd most frequent Japanese word.
工作
"Work," "craft," or "manual creation."
Here, "工作" refers to industrial manufacturing or engineering tasks performed with the machine.
この機械は工作に使われます。
This machine is used for manufacturing.
In this case, "工作" means arts and crafts activities, typically hands-on craftsmanship projects.
子供たちは学校で工作を勉強しました。
The children learned crafting at school.
Here, "工作" is used metaphorically to mean strategies or maneuvers in a business context.