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左边 meaning in English

zuǒbian

left; the left side

HSK 1nounTraditional 左邊10 strokes

Meaning of 左边

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zuǒbian
  1. left
  2. the left side
  3. to the left of

How to use 左边

左边 works like a place word. It often follows a noun with 的 or directly, and it pairs with 在 to say where something is. Example: 银行在学校左边。(Yínháng zài xuéxiào zuǒbian.) The bank is to the left of the school.

左 (zuǒ) means left and 边 (biān) means side, so 左边 is simply the left side. Picture 边 as the edge of a road and you are standing on its left edge.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 左 (zuǒ, left) and 右 (yòu, right) because they look alike. In 左 the bottom part is 工, while in 右 it is 口. Also, 边 in 左边 is usually said in the neutral tone (zuǒbian), not a full first tone.

左边 in example sentences

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

左zuǒ边biān的de车chē门mén将jiāng会huì打dǎ开kāi。
The doors on the left side will open.
我wǒ的de学xué校xiào在zài我wǒ家jiā左zuǒ边biān。
My school is to the left of my house.
你nǐ家jiā的de左zuǒ边biān是shì什shén么me？
What is to the left of your house?
经jīng过guò银yín行háng，左zuǒ边biān就jiù是shì他tā的de办bàn公gōng室shì了le。
His office is past the bank on your left.
走zǒu左zuǒ边biān的de道dào路lù。
Take the road on the left.

Stroke order for each character

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

左 zuǒ · left · 5 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

边 biān · side · 5 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5

Related words

Words that share a character with 左边.

那边nàbiānover there; yonder
这边zhèbiānthis side; here
一边yībiānone side; either side
旁边pángbiānside; adjacent place
右边yòubianright side; right, to the right
里边lǐbianinside
北边běibiannorth; north side
外边wàibianoutside; outer surface
南边nánbiansouth; south side
东边dōngbianeast; east side
西边xībianwest; west side
后边hòubianthe back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back

Questions about 左边

What does 左边 mean?

左边 (zuǒbian) means "left; the left side" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 左边?

左边 is made of 2 characters: 左 (5 strokes), 边 (5 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.

Is 左边 an HSK word?

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

How is 左边 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 左边 is written 左邊.

What is the difference between 左边 and 左?

左 alone is mostly used in set phrases or directions like 往左走 (wǎng zuǒ zǒu, go left). 左边 is a full place word you can use after 在 or as a subject, like 左边是我的房间 (the left side is my room).

Can I say 左面 instead of 左边?

Yes, 左面 (zuǒmiàn) also means the left side and is understood everywhere. 左边 is more common in everyday speech.

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