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Kanji Detail for 左 - "left"

左

  • Meaning

    左 means "left." Also associated with to assist, evidence.

    1. Left - The left side; the left direction.

    2. East - The eastern direction (when facing south).

    3. Lower - Inferior position (in ancient Chinese hierarchy).

    4. Evidence - Proof; verification; a seal.

    5. Assist - To help; to support (same as 佐).

  • Words using 左

    • 向かって左 むかってひだり Listen on the left as one faces (it)
    • 左翼 さよく Listen left wing; left wing (of a bird or aircraft); left wing (of an army, building, etc.)
    • 左右 さゆう Listen left and right; right and left; (asserting) control
    • 左派 さは Listen left wing
    • 左腕 ひだりうで Listen left arm; left-handed (baseball pitcher)
    • 左前 ひだりまえ Listen wearing a kimono with the right side over the left (normally used only for the dead); downturn; recession
    • 左手 ひだりて Listen left hand; left-hand side; left-hand direction
    • 左側 ひだりがわ Listen left side; left-hand side

  • Four-character idioms with 左

    • 右往左往 うおうさおう Listen moving about in confusion; going every which way; going this way and that
    • 右顧左眄 うこさべん Listen inability to make up one's mind due to worrying about how others will think; hesitation; wavering
    • 左見右見 とみこうみ Listen looking from one place to another; looking in all directions; looking all around
    • 左顧右眄 さこうべん Listen looking right and left or all about; vacillation

  • Tattoo check: 左

    • Verified meaning: left
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read あざ, さ, ささき, さざき)
    • Also carries these associations: to assist, evidence

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 左

    Given names 左(たすけ)Listen 左(ひだり)Listen

    Surnames 左(あざ)Listen 左(さ)Listen 左(ささき)Listen 左(さざき)Listen 左(ちゃ)Listen 左(ちよう)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    left

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    left; east; unorthodox, improper

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Zuo

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    left; unorthodox, improper

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    The left hand. All on the left-hand side is called 左. Such as 虛左以待, meaning leaving the left side of a carriage empty to await someone, expressing eager expectation. | In directional terms, east is left. Such as Shandong being called 山左; Jiangdong being called 江左. | Inconvenient. Hands and feet favor the right, so inconvenience is 左. Such as a bad plan called 左計. Not meeting each other is called 相左. | Improper. Such as 左道惑眾, meaning deceiving people with heresies. | Demotion. Such as a demotion in rank called 左遷. | Interchangeable with 佐. To assist. Such as addressing someone in letters as 左右, not daring to address directly, referring to their attendants. | Evidence. Such as a witness also called 證左, meaning one who was present and saw the event.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    sa(サ) サ

    sha(シャ) シャ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    hidari(ひだり) ひだり

  • Strokes

    tip

    5 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    工 (e・takumi・takumihen・ko)

  • Related Keywords

    left to assist evidence help lower proof direction east facing flank lateral nearside

Sentences including 左

  • You'll see the store on your left.

  • I'm left-handed.

  • He hurt his left hand.

  • He looked around.

  • I tried writing with my left hand.

  • Keep to the left.

  • She writes with her left hand.

  • I tried to write with my left hand.

  • Keep to the left when driving.

  • Cars keep to the left in japan.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 工 (e・takumi・takumihen・ko)

See all kanji with this radical →

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