右 meaning in English

yòu

(bound form) right; right-hand side; (bound form) (politics) right of center

HSK 1noun5 strokes

Meaning of 右

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

yòu

(bound form) right; right-hand side
(bound form) (politics) right of center
(bound form) (old) west
(literary) the right side as the side of precedence

How to use 右

右 is a bound form, so it usually appears inside words like 右边 (yòubian, right side), 右手 (yòushǒu, right hand) and 右转 (yòuzhuǎn, turn right). In directions you will hear it constantly: 前面右转。(Qiánmian yòuzhuǎn.) Turn right up ahead.

右 (yòu) has a hand shape on top with 口 (kǒu, mouth) underneath. Picture your right hand lifting food to your mouth, since most people eat with the right hand.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 右 (yòu) and 左 (zuǒ, left) because they share the same top part. Remember that 右 has 口 at the bottom, while 左 has 工 at the bottom.

右 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

如rú果guǒ有yǒu问wèn题tí，请qǐng举jǔ起qǐ你nǐ的de右yòu手shǒu。

If you have a question, please raise your right hand.

我wǒ三sān时shí左zuǒ右yòu随suí便biàn吃chī了le点diǎn东dōng西xī。

I had a bite at around 3 o'clock.

阿ā拉lā伯bó语yǔ要yào从cóng右yòu往wǎng左zuǒ读dú。

Arabic is read from right to left.

能néng麻má烦fán您nín等děng一yí个gè小xiǎo时shí左zuǒ右yòu吗ma？

Can you wait about an hour?

他tā会huì在zài四sì点diǎn左zuǒ右yòu到dào这zhè里lǐ。

He'll be here around four o'clock.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

右 yòu · right · 5 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 右.

右边	yòubian	right side; right, to the right
左右	zuǒyòu	left and right; nearby
座右铭	zuòyòumíng	motto; maxim
左顾右盼	zuǒgù-yòupàn	glancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around
右手	yòushǒu	right hand; right-hand side
右转	yòuzhuǎn	to turn right
右侧	yòucè	right side
右翼	yòuyì	the right flank; (politically) right-wing
右舷	yòuxián	starboard (of a ship)
右派	yòupài	(political) right; right wing
左右手	zuǒyòushǒu	left and right hands; (fig.) capable assistant
右面	yòumiàn	right side

Questions about 右

What does 右 mean?

右 (yòu) means "(bound form) right; right-hand side; (bound form) (politics) right of center" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 右?

右 is made of 1 character: 右 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.

Is 右 an HSK word?

Yes. 右 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Why does 左右 (zuǒyòu) sometimes mean about or approximately?

Literally it means left and right, so it can describe a range on either side of a number. For example, 十个左右 (shí ge zuǒyòu) means about ten.

What does 右 mean in 座右铭 (zuòyòumíng)?

It refers to the right side of one's seat, where a motto was kept as a reminder. The whole word simply means a personal motto or maxim.