What is the difference between 彼氏が出来る and 彼氏を作る?

Question

I often hear both of the following phrases:

彼氏が出来る

彼氏を作る

Both of them seem to mean the same thing(?). Why is it that 作る is used in this way? I had previously thought 作る meant to "create" or "make" something. Does this mean that the two phrases differ?

Answer 1

With the help of everybody's comments and examples, I think the difference to relates to the degree of "control" the speaker wishes to convey. In this case does the speaker wish to emphasise the woman's ability to find a boyfriend or the other factors that are also involved? (eg "money can't buy love"):

The use of 作る to emphasise the subjects active influence is consistent with the above examples:

1. 「アタシも頑張って彼氏作らなきゃ~！」

   "I have to find a bf too!"

2. 彼氏を作るために、クラブでナンパした

   She flirted with guys in clubs to get a boyfriend

出来る　(which has to be used with ように　not ために）conveys the importance of other factors beyond the person's control that can determine the final result (such as mutual interest from the intended partner). You could apply the same principle to:

3.　「赤ちゃんができた」

　　　She is pregnant.

4.　「30歳まで子供を作りたくない」

　　"I don't want to have a child before I'm thirty."

Most dictionaries assign a large number of uses/meanings to both verbs. In the Apple dictionary: あの二人は出来ているらしいis translated as "They seem to be in love with each other" or " They seem to be on intimate terms with each other" (emphasizing a physical relationship). 男を作る is defined as "become involved with a man/ have [take] a lover" but having the same meaning as 友達を作る、"to make friends".

出来る is also assigned the more general meaning of "come in to existence" (生じる／生まれる in the Apple dictionary) which emphasises a change of state. It is also close to its use to say the equivalent of "He(A boyfriend) came into her life", or "I was able to find a boyfriend" in the same way that 英語ができる　means "I can speak English": in both cases the verbs "find" and "speak" can be inferred.

Answer 2

Just looking at the verbs, it looks like:

• 彼氏ができる: to have a boyfriend, to reach the state where one has a boyfriend (often used in conversation as "彼氏ができた", meaning "I now have a boyfriend.")

• 彼氏を作る: to act so as to have a boyfriend. I've never heard it, but it would imply that some involvement is necessary, or that dating is an objective: eg, 彼氏を作るために、クラブでナンパした (she flirted with guys in clubs in order to have a boyfriend)