Japanese word

左翼

Pronunciation

Romajisayoku

Meaning

  • nounleftist

Example

彼は左翼です。kare wa sa yoku de su

He is a leftist.

Illustration for 左翼 (leftist)

More examples

その新聞は左翼の立場から政府を批判しています。so no shin bun wa sa yoku no tachi ba ka ra sei fu o hi han shi te i ma su

That newspaper criticizes the government from a left-wing standpoint.

Core concept

Refers to a political position associated with reducing social inequality and changing established systems.

Common phrases

  • 左翼政党sa yoku sei tō

    leftist party

  • 左翼運動sa yoku un dō

    leftist movement

  • 左翼思想sa yoku shi sō

    leftist ideology

Similar words

左派saha: A political group or position that favors social equality and changes to existing institutions.
革新派kakushinha: A political faction that promotes new ideas and reforms to established systems.
進歩派shinpoha: A person or group that favors social progress and political reform.

Definition in Japanese

社会や政治の仕組みを変え、平等を実現することを重視する政治的立場。また、その立場を支持する人。sha kai ya sei ji no shi ku mi o ka e byō dō o jitsu gen su ru ko to o jū shi su ru sei ji teki tachi ba ma ta so no tachi ba o shi ji su ru hito

Word origin

左翼 (sayoku, "left wing") is a compound of 左 (sa, "left") and 翼 (yoku, "wing"), and its political meaning uses the direction of a wing as a metaphor for a political side.

Usage tips

  • In English, the noun the left and the adjective left-wing are common, while Japanese uses 左翼 (sayoku) mainly as a noun.

Other meanings

  • the leftnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 左翼的sayokutekileft-wingna-adjective
  • 左翼化sayokukaleftward shiftnoun

Word lists with this word