Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| يسار | yasār | /ja.saːr/ | Hijazi Arabic, masculine |
| يَسَار | yasār | ||
| شِمَال | šimāl | ||
| شمال | šimāl | /ʃi.maːl/ /ʃa.maːl/ |
Egyptian Arabic |
| شُمال | šumāl | Hijazi Arabic, dated |
The term is used to describe the west side of the body when facing north. It can also refer to the ensemble of left-wing political parties as the noun يسار.
Which one should you use?
In Modern Standard Arabic, the word شِمَال is identical to the word for 'north'. While يسار is a standard way to express the direction, شِمَال is used frequently in many colloquial dialects to mean left.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the form شمال is used. In Hijazi Arabic, you may use يسار or the dated form شُمال.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'on your left', you add the masculine possessive suffix '-ka' to the word to form يَسَارِكَ. To change the adjective into the noun meaning 'the left side', add the definite article 'al-' to form الْيَسَار. The adverbial form يَسَارًا is used to indicate direction, such as 'turn to the left'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ja.saːr/ and has two syllables.
Did you know?
- The name of the country 'Yemen' comes from يَمَن, which originally denoted the 'right-hand side' as the opposite of the 'left' or north.
Examples in context
- در يسارا مرة أخرى.Turn left again.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to turn left using يسار.Tatoeba #12002238 by dididodo, translation #10607572 by Amastan
- هناك نافذة على يسارك.There is a window on your left.This sentence shows how to use يسار to indicate the location of an object on one's left.Tatoeba #1641812 by Amastan, translation #1641818 by Amastan
- خُذ يسارك عند أول تقاطع.Turn left at the first junction.This sentence demonstrates using يسار to give directions at a junction.Tatoeba #11897495 by Safa_Alfulaij, translation #11797122 by sundown
- تجد المحل التجاري على الشمال.You'll find the store on the left.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Youssef and Layla are walking together in a mall.
- يوسف Youssefليلى، المحل اللي أدور عليه على يسار.Layla, al-mahal elli adawwar alayh ala yasar.Layla, the shop I'm looking for is on the left.
- ليلى Laylaتقصد المحل اللي جنب المصعد؟Taqsud al-mahal elli janb al-mis'ad?Do you mean the shop next to the elevator?
- يوسف Youssefأيوه، بالضبط هو يسار.Aywa, biddabt huwwa yasar.Yes, exactly, it is to the left.
- ليلى Laylaطيب، خلنا نروح له دحين.Tayyib, khallina nruh lah dahn.Okay, let's go to it now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “left” translations and entries يسار, شمال, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries شمال, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
