左
zuǒ/t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴/
In Chinese, "left" is said as 左 (zuǒ).
The term 左 is an adjective used to describe the west side of the body when one is facing north. To use it in different contexts, you can expand the word: 左边 or 左边 refers to the left side as a location, 向左 means moving towards the left side and 左手边 means the left-hand side. You can also form specific nouns such as 左手, which means left hand, by adding the word for hand (手) to the adjective. To describe a person with a specific characteristic, such as a left-hander, the term 左撇子 is used, where 撇子 acts as a suffix.
Meaning: west side of the body when one is facing north (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word зуә is the Dungan form of "left".
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To transform the adjective 左 into a noun representing the 'left side' or a specific location, you append the character 边 to the end to form 左边.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is zuǒ and the IPA is /tsu̯ɔ²¹⁴/.
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, the 'left' was historically associated with the yang principle and seen as superior to the right in certain imperial contexts.
- The Dungan language uses the word зуә for 'left', representing a fascinating blend of Chinese vocabulary written in a Cyrillic script.
- The word 左撇子 for a left-handed person contains the character 撇, which is also the name of a specific diagonal stroke in Chinese calligraphy.
Examples in context
- 他左右看了看。He looked left and right.This sentence shows how to use 左 to describe looking in different directions.Tatoeba #8756388 by crescat, translation #4351264 by CH
- 提姆是左撇子。Tim is left-handed.This sentence uses 左 to describe a person who is left-handed.Tatoeba #10252148 by GlossaMatik, translation #10252174 by bekindtoall
- 您本应左转的。You should've turned left.This sentence uses 左 to describe the direction of a turn.Tatoeba #10752794 by GlossaMatik, translation #3823083 by CK
- 他的房间在左边。His room is on the left side.
- 请往左转。Please turn left.
- 这座建筑物在你的左手边。The building is on your left-hand side.
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Jiayi are looking for a room in a hallway.
- 志强 Zhiqiang房间在左边吗？Fángjiān zài zuǒbiān ma?Is the room on the left?
- 佳怡 Jiayi不是，在右边。Búshì, zài yòubiān.No, it's on the right.
- 志强 Zhiqiang哦，我的左边就是门。Ó, wǒ de zuǒbiān jiùshì mén.Oh, the door is to my left.
- 佳怡 Jiayi对，就是那个门。Duì, jiùshì nàge mén.Correct, that's the door.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “left” translations and entries 左, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
