Where does “左右” come from?

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

左右 (Japanese): left and right; both sides; control

Definitions

  1. left and right; both sides; control

Ancestry of “左右”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese左left, the side of the left hand; a leftist; the...
2Japanese右right; the above statement, foregoing; the right...
3Middle Chinese右—
Every word from Middle Chinese 右 →Every word from Japanese 右 →Every word from Japanese 左 →