I keep getting tripped up on this word vs handmade, and I think part of it is just that the definition is a word I’m not sure I’ve ever heard in English before in my life and I can’t imagine there isn’t a better primary meaning for it. This is just a vent (and maybe I’ll remember it properly if I complain).
So how about it, who uses or hears the word HANDICRAFT in daily conversation?
The one alternative I could think of would just be the shorter ‘crafts’, but this allows for slight ambiguity when the japanese definition specifically mentions things made with one’s /hands/. Handicrafts is absolutely the most accurate, but you wouldn’t be doing yourself a disservice by adding a synonym.
Monster Hunter players.
So most literally, maybe just “handmade crafts” and ignore the “handicraft” nonsense word.
“Handicraft” is a totally normal English word.
It looks like that one is an officially listed WK alternative, so you can use it without writing up a user synonym if you prefer it. “crafting” and “handiwork” are also on the allow-list.
Is handicraft maybe a more popular word is the UK or something? I’m a fairly well read person in the northeastern United States and I truly don’t think I’ve ever heard it.
If I walk into a craft store (which essentially means hand made crafts by default here) like Michaels or Joanne Fabrics I don’t think I could find that word printed anywhere in the store. Just now searching for “handicraft” and those two stores on Google gets hits likely due to Google presenting crafts as a synonym, but the word itself seemingly doesn’t occur on either of their sites.
I am familiar with handyman (commonly used) and handiwork (fairly uncommon really, used in very particular contexts), but I’ve never heard anyone say something like: “I like to entertain myself with handicrafts” or “I’m going to the store to purchase some items for my handicrafts”… And I’m pretty sure that they’d get a weird look from anyone around here if they said it.
Google claims, “The word handicraft appears about two times per million words in modern written English.” That seems fairly uncommon?
So I’m willing to accept some amount of ignorance here, but are we all sure that English speakers across the globe all are familiar with this word and I’m just the one guy who has somehow missed it?
So I asked chatgpt to look across craft websites to verify my sanity and given it’s results, I really don’t see why “crafts” isn’t the primary definition while “handicrafts” should likely be a valid alternative. Honestly what craft would someone be referring to with “crafts” which is not a handmade craft in daily conversation?
Here’s that conversation:
You
What regions actually commonly use “handicraft” as a word? Take a look at Joanne fabric or Michael’s website please as they are craft stores and the word appears to never or rarely appear on their sites.
ChatGPT
Searched 6 sites
The term “handicraft” is not commonly used on major U.S. craft store websites like Joann Fabrics or Michaels. For instance, browsing through Michaels’ site reveals a heavy emphasis on terms like “craft supplies,” “DIY,” and “handmade crafts,” but “handicraft” is virtually absent. This suggests that in the U.S., especially in the Northeast, “crafts” or “handmade crafts” are the preferred terms.
Globally, “handicraft” might be more commonly used in regions where traditional, artisanal, or heritage crafts are significant, such as in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. It is often used in contexts related to cultural preservation and artisan work, which might not be as prominent in mainstream U.S. craft retail.
For a language learning tool, using “handicraft” is not incorrect, but it may not reflect the most commonly used terminology in everyday American English. It might be beneficial for such tools to also incorporate more commonly used terms like “crafts” or “handmade crafts” to better align with everyday language usage.
wait til you learn that 錦 means “brocade”
The trends seem to indicate that crafts is more common, and has been since the 19th century, but that handicraft still sees consistent usage. It seems to be in greater decline in american english over british english, which would explain why you’re not personally familiar with it.
Especially given what pm215 said, this doesn’t really strike as a content issue.
Out of curiosity I looked up 工作 in some JE dictionaries I have access to:
So I don’t think WK is massively out on a limb with its primary definition.
I think this kind of thing isn’t unusual when you’re trying to pick a single English word for an equivalent to a Japanese word: there isn’t a single word which has all of the same precise meaning, and the same sort of range of uses, and the same level of formality or commonness. So you have to compromise on some of those. (This is also why I prefer anki style “answer easy/ok/hard” over WK style “type out the answer”, because I don’t think associating the Japanese word with a specific English word is all that important.)
I’m also from the northeastern US, so I assumed you might not be a native speaker 
. I associate “handicrafts” with traditional/local/ethnic crafts, so I don’t really expect big chains to use the word. I checked on Google Maps and there are a few small businesses in Philly, NYC, and Boston with “handicrafts” in the name though.
I’m surprised you haven’t seen it before, but it isn’t a word I actually use that often either. It’s probably fine if you just use one of the default synonyms or add your own.
So good news, this is now seared into my brain which was the primary intention, but now to make sure I have it right in a more general way than satisfying the wanikani definition…
It appears handicraft in English generally refers more to traditional/local/ethnic hand crafts. As I’m memorizing this, I might as well attempt to get this right. Is 工作 more of traditional/local/ethnic crafts or is it more of a general hand crafts in actual usage?
The context examples here seems to suggest general crafts 
The thesaurus 類語例解辞典 says (as part of its attempt to describe the difference between 工作 and 細工):
「工作」は、紙やねんど、木などを使って器物や模型などを作ること
which is to say:
工作 is making items or models from materials like paper, clay, and wood.
So it’s that kind of “something made by hand from simple materials” thing, I think.