佐 (zuǒ) is a Chinese character meaning “to assist”. It is written from 亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 左 (left; left-hand side), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to assist”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
亻 + 左
Left–right structure
Structure from: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 亻，第 3–7 笔构成 左)
Memory aid
A person (亻) posted at your left (左) — the helper who stands beside you and assists.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 佐料zuǒ liàoseasoning; condiment佐 = zuǒ
- 辅佐fǔ zuǒto assist (a leader); to aid佐 = zuǒ
Go deeper
All readings
to assist
to assist; to help; an assistant; (of food) to go with, to season
帮助、辅助；也指辅助的人或用来搭配、调味的东西。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 佐料zuǒ liàoseasoning; condiment佐 = zuǒ
- 辅佐fǔ zuǒto assist (a leader); to aid佐 = zuǒ
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 佐 mean?
佐 (zuǒ) means to assist; to help; an assistant; (of food) to go with, to season.
How do you pronounce 佐?
It is pronounced zuǒ.
What parts is 佐 made of?
亻 (person (the form 人 takes on the left)) and 左 (left; left-hand side), side by side. The recorded source is: modern-glyph (hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 亻，第 3–7 笔构成 左). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 佐 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 佐?
人. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 佐?
Common ones are 佐料 and 辅佐. The reading of 佐 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.