Word information
Simplified左右
Traditional左右
Pinyinzuǒyòu
Part of speech名
HSK 3.04, 7-9
HSK 2.06
Chinese word dictionary
左右
zuǒyòu · left and right; nearby; approximately; attendant; to control; to influence
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 左右
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Related vocabulary
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
右yòu
(bound form) right; right-hand side; (bound form) (politics) right of center; (bound form) (old) west; (literary) the right side as the side of precedence
右边yòubianright side; right, to the right
左zuǒleft; the Left (politics); east; unorthodox; queer; wrong; differing; opposite; variant of 佐[zuo3]; surname Zuo
左边zuǒbianleft; the left side; to the left of
左顾右盼zuǒgù-yòupànglancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around
座右铭zuòyòumíngmotto; maxim