左
左 — Left
left
On’yomiサ (sa)
On’yomiシャ (sha)
Kun’yomiひだり (hidari)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 左
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 左 | ひだり hidari | left; left-hand side; left hand |
| 向かって左 | むかってひだり mukattehidari | on the left as one faces (it) |
| 左翼 | さよく sayoku | left wing; left wing (of a bird or aircraft); left wing (of an army, building, etc.) |
| 左右 | さゆう sayuu | left and right; right and left; (asserting) control |
| 左派 | さは saha | left wing |
| 左腕 | ひだりうで hidariude | left arm; left-handed (baseball pitcher) |
Study notes
左 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #630 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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