Character

左

zuǒ HSK 2

左 zuǒ HSK 2

1. left side (opposite of 'right', the east side when facing south)
2. anyway; in any case
3. attendants or followers by one's side
4. (class.) lower position or rank
5. biased; deviant; abnormal
6. contrary; inconsistent
7. politically progressive; leaning toward revolution (opposite of 'right')
8. (lit.) same as «佐»
9. a surname

Words using 左 as zuǒ (3)

1 左边 zuǒ biān — left side HSK 2
- 左 left (direction)
- 边 side, edge (position marker)
Example

书店在邮局的左边。

shū diàn zài yóu jú de zuǒ biān

The bookstore is on the left side of the post office.
2 左右 zuǒ yòu — left and right HSK 4
- 左 left (side)
- 右 right (side)
Example

注意左右的车辆。

zhù yì zuǒ yòu de chē liàng

Pay attention to vehicles on the left and right.
3 左顾右盼 zuǒ gù yòu pàn — glance around HSK 7
- 左 left (direction)
- 顾 look, turn to look
- 右 right (direction)
- 盼 gaze, look expectantly
Example

他在人群中左顾右盼，寻找朋友。

tā zài rén qún zhōng zuǒ gù yòu pàn xún zhǎo péng you

He glanced around in the crowd, searching for friends.

Structure & writing

左 zuǒ — left side (opposite of 'right', the east side when facing south)

左 is a component in 1 characters

HSK 7

惰 duò lazy, sluggish; opposite of 勤

左 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order