King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “leftist”

Romaji: hidari
left; left-hand side

In Japanese, leftist is , read (hidari).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. adj-no, n left; left-hand side
  2. n left hand
  3. n the left (wing); leftist
  4. n fondness for alcohol; drinker

Kanji and stroke order

left
on: サ、シャ
kun: ひだり
5 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “leftist”

WordReadingMeaning
ブサヨ busayoleftist; left wing
レフティ refutileftist
さよくけい sayokukeileft-leaning; left-wing; leftist
パヨク payokuthe left (wing); left-winger; leftist

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
さゆう sayuuleft and right; right and left
さよく sayokuleft wing
ひだりて hidariteleft hand
ひだりがわ hidarigawaleft side; left-hand side
さは sahaleft wing
ひだりきき hidarikikileft-handedness; left-handed person; left-hander

See also: Chinese symbol for “leftist”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.