Where does “左” come from?

左 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 右, from Middle Chinese 右.

左 (Japanese): left, the side of the left hand; a leftist; the...

Definitions

  1. left, the side of the left hand; a leftist; the...

Ancestry of “左”, step by step

左 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 右

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese右right; the above statement, foregoing; the right...
2Middle Chinese右—

via Old Japanese Old Japanese

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old JapaneseOld Japanese—

Words derived from “左”

Every word from Middle Chinese 右 →Every word from Japanese 右 →