JLPT N5 kanji · 5 strokes · #630 by frequency
左 — Left
- Meaning
- Left
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- サシャ
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- ひだり
- Radical
- 工
Stroke order
5 strokes. The stroke to draw is in red; the previous ones are already in place.
Components
The pieces this kanji is built from. Recognizing them is half of understanding it.
Memory hook
At work (工), this clumsy hand (ナ) always drops the tool: that's the left (左) one.
Kanzen's hook for this kanji. In the app, you can adopt another learner's or write your own.
Common vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 左 | ひだり | left, left-hand side |
| 左右 | さゆう | left and right, right and left |
| 左利き | ひだりきき | left-handedness, left-handed person, left-hander |
| 左様なら | さようなら | farewell, adieu, goodbye |
| 左程 | さほど | (not) so, (not) particularly, (not) very |
| 右往左往 | うおうさおう | moving about in confusion, going every which way |
Sources: meanings and readings based on KANJIDIC2 and JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0) · KanjiVG strokes © Ulrich Apel (CC BY-SA 3.0) · reading selection, French translations and memory hooks: Kanzen.