Chinese

Adjective

左右

1. about; or so; or thereabouts

   他身高可能在三米左右。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Tā shēngāo kěnéng zài sān mǐ zuǒyòu. [Pinyin]

   He was about three meters tall.

Noun

左右

1. the left and right sides; both sides
2. entourage; retinue; attendants

Verb

左右

1. to control; to manipulate

Japanese

Etymology

From 左 ‎(sa, “left”) +‎ 右 ‎(yū, “right”).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA^(key): [sa̠jɯᵝː]

Noun

左右 ‎(hiragana さゆう, romaji sayū)

1. left and right

   横断歩道 (おうだんほどう)を渡 (わた)る前 (まえ)には、左右 (さゆう)を確認 (かくにん)する。

   Ōdanhodō o wataru mae ni wa, sayū o kakunin suru.

   Check left and right before you cross the crosswalk.

2. both sides
3. control
4. influence

Synonyms

• (right and left): 右左 (みぎひだり) ‎(migihidari)
• (control): 支配 (しはい) ‎(shihai)
• (influence): 影響 (えいきょう) ‎(eikyō)

Compounds

• 上下左右
• 前後左右
• 左右一対
• 左右軸
• 左右相称
• 左右対称

Verb

左右する ‎(hiragana さゆうする, romaji sayū suru)

1. to sway, to influence
2. to have under one's control

Conjugation