How to say "left" in Japanese

• 左ひだりJLPT N5approx.Common
  no-adjectiveThe ordinary word for the direction and for the left-hand side of something: use it when giving directions or describing where something is located.
  そのポールは左ひだりに傾かたむいた。↗

  The pole inclined to the left.
• レフトCommon
  nounThe loanword for 'left', used chiefly in baseball for the left-field position; outside baseball it is seldom the word you want, as 左 covers the everyday sense.

Use 左 for the direction or the left-hand side in ordinary contexts; 「レフト」 is the loanword heard chiefly in baseball for the left-field position, so it is seldom what you want elsewhere.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 左ひだりleft
• レフトleft
• 左さleft (esp. in vertical Japanese writing)
• 後あとmore (e.g. five more minutes)