左 meaning in English

zuǒ

left; the Left (politics)

HSK 1noun5 strokes

Meaning of 左

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zuǒ

left
the Left (politics)
east
unorthodox
queer
wrong
differing
opposite

Zuǒ

surname Zuo

How to use 左

左 (zuǒ) usually appears in compounds like 左边 (zuǒbian), 左手 (zuǒshǒu) and 左转 (zuǒzhuǎn), especially when giving directions. Example: 前面路口左转。(Qiánmiàn lùkǒu zuǒzhuǎn.) Turn left at the next intersection.

Picture a hand holding a tool: the top strokes 𠂇 are a hand, and the 工 (gōng) underneath is a work tool. Think of the left hand steadying the tool while the right hand does the work.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 左 (zuǒ) and 右 (yòu, right) because both share the same top. Remember that 左 has 工 underneath and 右 has 口 underneath.

左 in example sentences

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

电diàn脑nǎo放fàng在zài女nǚ士shì们men的de左zuǒ边biān。

The computer is placed to the left of the women.

在zài左zuǒ边biān有yǒu一yī条tiáo秘mì密mì通tōng道dào。

There's a secret path on the left.

那nà两liǎng个gè部bù门mén有yǒu时shí候hòu意yì见jiàn相xiāng左zuǒ。

Those two departments are sometimes at odds with each other.

玛mǎ利lì亚yà的de父fù亲qīn容róng易yì被bèi人rén左zuǒ右yòu。

Maria's father is easily influenced.

他tā的de母mǔ亲qīn坐zuò在zài他tā的de左zuǒ边biān。

On his left sat his mother.

Stroke order for each character

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

左 zuǒ · left · 5 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 左.

左边	zuǒbian	left; the left side
左右	zuǒyòu	left and right; nearby
左顾右盼	zuǒgù-yòupàn	glancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around
左手	zuǒshǒu	left hand; left-hand side
左转	zuǒzhuǎn	to turn left
左侧	zuǒcè	left side
左翼	zuǒyì	left-wing (political)
左撇子	zuǒpiězi	left-hander
左舷	zuǒxián	port (side of a ship)
左派	zuǒpài	(political) left; left wing
左轮手枪	zuǒlúnshǒuqiāng	revolver
左右手	zuǒyòushǒu	left and right hands; (fig.) capable assistant

Questions about 左

What does 左 mean?

左 (zuǒ) means "left; the Left (politics)" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 左?

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

Is 左 an HSK word?

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

What does 左右 mean after a number?

After a number, 左右 (zuǒyòu) means about or approximately. For example, 十点左右 (shí diǎn zuǒyòu) means around ten o'clock.

Why can 左 mean east?

In traditional Chinese orientation a person faces south, so the left side points east. This is why 左 can mean east in some older or literary texts.