作 is built from the 亻 (person (left)) and 乍 (suddenly (in 作·昨)) components.
It belongs to a phonetic family with 昨, 酢, and 搾 — they share the 乍 component and the reading サク.
A common word using 作 is 作文 (さくぶん), meaning “essay; composition”.
Kanji that look similar include 伯, 伴, 伸, and 伺.