<p>左 looks like it has an "I" in it.  I in the alphabet is closer to L (left obviously)</p>

<p>右 looks like it has an "O" in it.  O in the alphabet is closer to R (right obviously)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:13:47.453Z
I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:15:14.787Z
I, ... , O Maybe better
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T22:35:27.777Z
2015-02-13T22:35:27.777Z
Alex Quan
<p>In my brain association with politics works well.
The LEFT usually support workers (左 has 工 in it)
The RIGHT supports the rich and the rich always has food to eat (右 has 口 in it)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-17T12:18:30.277Z
2020-12-17T12:18:30.277Z
Raffaele 王仁发
<p>If you're a bricklayer you hold your square bricks in your right hand, you hold a level or ruler in your left.  The 口 is your brick, the 工 is your level.</p>

<p>Cheers,</p>

<p>-dlj.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-14T09:19:11.300Z
2015-02-14T09:19:11.300Z
David Lloyd-Jones
<p>I learned it had something to do with what you do with your hands, the only one I can recall right now is how I differentiate:</p>

<p>When you are working (工) you hold a ruler in left hand and draw with your right.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T20:38:50.563Z
the (right) hand brings food to the mouth (口).
Krazer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T21:09:36.437Z
Better than the way I did it.  As a follow up the student can read the Chinesebreeze book *Left and Right: The Conjoined Brothers* and never forget it after that.
Colin McLarty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:33:58.633Z
@ColinMcLarty   Hi, we have a logic loop problem. If I do not remember 左 and 右, how could I read the book? But if I do not read the book, how do I remember 左 and 右?
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-18T09:09:01.410Z
Doesn't work for lefties :-)
fat penguin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T19:20:16.480Z
2015-02-13T19:20:16.480Z
alwaysnoone
<p>工口 look like the number 10. 1 is on the left, and 0 is on the right.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-18T07:58:17.863Z
2023-08-18T07:58:17.863Z
ElpieKay
<p>&quot;You are right&quot; is a mnemonic for</p>
<p>右 (yòu) being right (right-hand-side)</p>
<p>This is what someone taught me.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-03T00:26:18.723Z
2021-05-03T00:40:01.040Z
2021-05-03T00:40:01.040Z
Jim Chan
<p>That's how I remember it, there is one char call 有(you 3) which is similar to 右(you 4) which could help you remember the sound; but for connecting with English world, I think @Alex Quan's memory hint is great :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-01-30T01:00:50.570Z
2021-01-30T01:00:50.570Z
Weijing Jay Lin
<p>The word work has an anvil and this is in ancient times associated with work.
The word right has a mouth, you bring food to your mouth with your right hand.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-01T10:01:05.420Z
2020-05-01T10:01:05.420Z
Andy
<p>I like the right-angle one, as written above.
One that worked for me, being a lefty, is that 左 looks like it has the English character/word &quot;I&quot; in it. And &quot;I&quot; am a &quot;left&quot;y.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-13T06:48:56.633Z
2020-12-13T06:48:56.633Z
Anonymous
<p>The one that i used is that i like z more than y, and right more that left, so opposite and so z is for left and y is for left.
If u don't understand its ok, cos i know its not really a good method</p>
<p>Also i liked the one about right angles</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-08-08T05:31:45.153Z
2023-08-08T05:33:23.910Z
2023-08-08T05:33:23.910Z
user36526
<p>Did some research, but all I can find is that both 左 and 右 are actually the same symbol that denotes hand but reversed horizontally in ancient times. This symbol basically formed the top part of the character, which now pointed at same direction.</p>

<p>When I was in kindergarten, my teach used to help us to remember them by telling us 右 has a 口 in it, so it's the hand you use to hold chopsticks and eat since at the time left-hand dominance was considered to be corrected. That's why in China, you almost would not see people write or hold chopsticks with their left hand even it's their dominate hand.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-15T02:41:29.267Z
2015-02-15T02:41:29.267Z
user1228520
<p>Because 左 and 右 are so similar in the shape, I am wondering how do you learn and remember them? I need a good method to teach. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T18:39:54.990Z
You could remember that "right" (右) has a "box" in it. Boxes have with *right* angles, you see.
Krazer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T19:32:58.763Z
Plus 1. Good. We are so lucky that right angle is the same right.
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:39:41.910Z
What about pinyin, You4 and Kou3.
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:45:51.000Z
It's not that hard to remember 2 things. I wouldn't bother spending time to find a mnemonic.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-13T23:54:57.733Z
@DrunkenMaster What I see is that those are harder than, say, 前 and 后.
PdotWang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-14T08:29:25.660Z
@PdotWang Take a pencil, write them down a few times over a few days and you are done. This has the added benefit that you train your writing skills/calligraphy. Making up and learning unobvious mnemonics is an added effort.
imrek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-20T06:14:39.417Z
Remembering the characters isn't difficult: 左 (zuǒ) has a similar sound with 工作 (gōngzuò) and you write it with the 工, and 右 (yòu) has a 口 (kǒu.) If you have trouble remembering left from right, you still will have trouble in another language. Perhaps it's tattoo-back-of-the-hand time :P
Ming
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-14T20:39:12.660Z
L E F T ~~ 工， R G ~~ 口, try to imagine the shape.
Shaw
<word><writing>
How do you learn and remember 左 and 右?
# How do you learn and remember 左 and 右?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-13)

Because 左 and 右 are so similar in the shape, I am wondering how do you learn and remember them? I need a good method to teach.

**Tags:** word, writing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You could remember that "right" (右) has a "box" in it. Boxes have with *right* angles, you see.  
> **username_0**: Plus 1. Good. We are so lucky that right angle is the same right.  
> **username_0**: What about pinyin, You4 and Kou3.  
> **username_2**: It's not that hard to remember 2 things. I wouldn't bother spending time to find a mnemonic.  
> **username_0**: @DrunkenMaster What I see is that those are harder than, say, 前 and 后.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 Take a pencil, write them down a few times over a few days and you are done. This has the added benefit that you train your writing skills/calligraphy. Making up and learning unobvious mnemonics is an added effort.  
> **username_3**: Remembering the characters isn't difficult: 左 (zuǒ) has a similar sound with 工作 (gōngzuò) and you write it with the 工, and 右 (yòu) has a 口 (kǒu.) If you have trouble remembering left from right, you still will have trouble in another language. Perhaps it's tattoo-back-of-the-hand time :P  
> **username_4**: L E F T ~~ 工， R G ~~ 口, try to imagine the shape.  

---

## 11 answers

### Answer by username_17 on 2015-02-15. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

Did some research, but all I can find is that both 左 and 右 are actually the same symbol that denotes hand but reversed horizontally in ancient times. This symbol basically formed the top part of the character, which now pointed at same direction.

When I was in kindergarten, my teach used to help us to remember them by telling us 右 has a 口 in it, so it's the hand you use to hold chopsticks and eat since at the time left-hand dominance was considered to be corrected. That's why in China, you almost would not see people write or hold chopsticks with their left hand even it's their dominate hand.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-02-13. Score: 3

左 looks like it has an "I" in it. I in the alphabet is closer to L (left obviously)

右 looks like it has an "O" in it. O in the alphabet is closer to R (right obviously)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R  
> **username_0**: I, ... , O Maybe better  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2020-12-17. Score: 2

In my brain association with politics works well.
The LEFT usually support workers (左 has 工 in it)
The RIGHT supports the rich and the rich always has food to eat (右 has 口 in it)


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-02-14. Score: 2

If you're a bricklayer you hold your square bricks in your right hand, you hold a level or ruler in your left. The 口 is your brick, the 工 is your level.

Cheers,

-dlj.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2015-02-13. Score: 2

I learned it had something to do with what you do with your hands, the only one I can recall right now is how I differentiate:

When you are working (工) you hold a ruler in left hand and draw with your right.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: the (right) hand brings food to the mouth (口).  
> **username_9**: Better than the way I did it.  As a follow up the student can read the Chinesebreeze book *Left and Right: The Conjoined Brothers* and never forget it after that.  
> **username_0**: @ColinMcLarty   Hi, we have a logic loop problem. If I do not remember 左 and 右, how could I read the book? But if I do not read the book, how do I remember 左 and 右?  
> **username_10**: Doesn't work for lefties :-)  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2023-08-18. Score: 1

工口 look like the number 10. 1 is on the left, and 0 is on the right.


---

### Answer by username_12 on 2021-05-03. Score: 1

"You are right" is a mnemonic for

右 (yòu) being right (right-hand-side)

This is what someone taught me.


---

### Answer by username_13 on 2021-01-30. Score: 1

That's how I remember it, there is one char call 有(you 3) which is similar to 右(you 4) which could help you remember the sound; but for connecting with English world, I think @username_5's memory hint is great :)


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### Answer by username_14 on 2020-05-01. Score: 0

The word work has an anvil and this is in ancient times associated with work.
The word right has a mouth, you bring food to your mouth with your right hand.


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### Answer by username_15 on 2020-12-13. Score: 0

I like the right-angle one, as written above.
One that worked for me, being a lefty, is that 左 looks like it has the English character/word "I" in it. And "I" am a "left"y.


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### Answer by username_16 on 2023-08-08. Score: 0

The one that i used is that i like z more than y, and right more that left, so opposite and so z is for left and y is for left.
If u don't understand its ok, cos i know its not really a good method

Also i liked the one about right angles


---

