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I did some looking around and I found that 動作 is the behavior of machines and
行動 is the behavior of people, but that can't be it since on my textbook I find
the following sentence:

> 彼女は話し方が丁寧なのに対して動作が丁寧でない。

Also saw some people saying that 行動 is the movement of people and 動作 is
movement of the body, but I'm kinda confused about that.

Can someone explain the difference between these two words?
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word-choice
What's the difference between 行動 and 動作?
行動 can only be used for humans (and rarely for animals which display
personality). 動作 can be used for machines, animals, humans, etc.

行動 refers to one's comportment and behavior (actions). 動作 refers to one's
physical movements.

If someone stumbles a bit during the tea ceremony, despite using properly
polite language, you would not say that their 'behavior'（行動） is bad as much as
their 'movements' （動作）.
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Let's take a look at the explanation by [English native speakers about the
difference.](https://hinative.com/ja/questions/279165) for just FYI.

> 行動：無意識的な動作と意識的な動作までを含む人の動作。action.
>
> 行動 : the movement of **someone** if it be unconscious or intentional.
>
> 動作：身体的な運動やその作用。movement.
>
> Physical movement of **it** and the effect, movement.
>
> 地震の際には、落ち着いて適切な行動をとって身体の安全を確保しましょう。 不注意な行動が大きな危険を招きます。
>
> Place yourself to security area, with with due composure in a case of the
> earthquake. Your careless action could put you in danger.
>
> ダンサーが舞台に登場して、野生の猿のような不思議な動作をしてみせた。 彼は店員としてのトレーニングが未熟で、まだ店頭での動作がぎこちない。
>
> The dancer acted with strange movement of a wild ape while he is on the
> stage. He is still inexperienced in training, so his movement on the stage
> is awkward.

So that, whereas 行動 has broader sense of action, 動作 is more centered on the
very motion/movement by someone/something.
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行動 is more like behavior or activity. It's a relatively complex movement of a
lifeform that may take a long time and usually has a certain purpose. Examples
of 行動 include "going shopping", "preparing and eating dinner", "playing
baseball" and "attending a meeting". It's typically used for human activities,
but you can also safely say アリの行動 or ロボットの行動 if it appears to be a purposeful
sophisticated movement (or sequence of movements).

動作 refers to more primitive, mechanical movements. It can be involuntary.
Examples of 動作 include "walking", "clapping hands", "hitting a ball with a
bat" and "breathing". Operation of a machine or software is also called 動作.
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