佐

佐 U+4F50, 佐 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4F50 ← 住 [U+4F4F] CJK Unified Ideographs 佑 → [U+4F51]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

佐 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 人大一 (OKM), four-corner 2421₁, composition ⿰亻左)

Derived characters

• 𪘡, 𪘓(𬺇)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 98, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 506
• Dae Jaweon: page 207, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 130, character 6
• Unihan data for U+4F50

Chinese

simp. and trad.		佐
alternative forms		左 𠡃

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 佐
Transcribed ancient scripts L36863 L23690 L23691 L23692 L23693 L23694 L23695 L23696
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (左) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
左	*ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls
佐	*ʔsaːls
袏	*ʔslaːls
蹉	*sʰlaːl
瑳	*sʰlaːl, *sʰlaːlʔ
搓	*sʰlaːl
磋	*sʰlaːl
溠	*sʰlaːl, *sraːl, *ʔsraːls
傞	*sʰlaːl, *slaːl
醝	*zlaːl
瘥	*zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *sʰreːls
鹺	*zlaːl
嵯	*zlaːl, *sʰral
嵳	*zlaːl
蒫	*zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *ʔslɯl
艖	*zlaːl, *sʰraːl
齹	*zlaːl, *sʰral, *zral
縒	*slaːlʔ, *sʰral, *sʰlaːɡ
褨	*slaːlʔ
嗟	*ʔsljal
差	*sʰraːl, *sʰraːls, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːls, *sʰral
鎈	*sʰraːl
槎	*zraːl, *zraːlʔ
髊	*zlals

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔsaːls) : semantic 亻 (“person”) + phonetic 左 (OC *ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls).

Etymology

Compare 佑 (OC *ɢʷɯs, “to assist; to help; to protect”).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zuǒ (zuo³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄛˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zo³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chó
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chó͘ / chó / chò / chô

  (Teochew, Peng'im): zo²

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵tsu

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zuǒ
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zuǒ
    • Wade–Giles: tso³
    • Yale: dzwǒ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuoo
    • Palladius: цзо (czo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zo³
    • Yale: jo
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzo³
    • Guangdong Romanization: zo³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔː³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chó
    • Hakka Romanization System: zo^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: zo³
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡so³¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chó͘
    • Tâi-lô: tsóo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zor
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɔ⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chó
    • Tâi-lô: tsó
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zoir
    • IPA (Taipei, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡so⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɤ⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chò
    • Tâi-lô: tsò
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zoix
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɤ²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡so¹¹/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chô
    • Tâi-lô: tsô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zooi
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɤ²³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡so²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: zo²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsó
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡so⁵²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵tsu
    • MiniDict: tsu^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²tsu
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡su³⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: tsaH

Rime
Character	佐
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	則箇切
Baxter	tsaH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sɑH/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sɑH/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sɑH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡saH/
Li Rong	/t͡sɑH/
Wang Li	/t͡sɑH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sɑH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zuò
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zo3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*tsˤarʔ-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːls/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	佐
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zuǒ
Middle Chinese	‹ tsaH ›
Old Chinese	/*tsˁarʔ-s/ (dialect: *-r > *-j)
English	aid, assist
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	佐
Reading #	1/1
No.	18005
Phonetic component	左
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	佐
Old Chinese	/*ʔsaːls/

Definitions

佐

1. to assist; to aid; to second
2. assistant; aide; subordinate

Compounds

• 七佐
• 上佐
• 中佐
• 九佐
• 五佐
• 亭佐
• 佐乘
• 佐事
• 佐享
• 佐佑
• 佐使
• 佐僚
• 佐券
• 佐助
• 佐助器
• 佐史
• 佐吏
• 佐命
• 佐將／佐将
• 佐屬／佐属
• 佐州
• 佐幕
• 佐弋
• 佐戎
• 佐政
• 佐敦 (Zuǒdūn)
• 佐料 (zuǒliào)
• 佐時／佐时
• 佐書／佐书
• 佐棘
• 佐檢／佐检
• 佐歡／佐欢
• 佐治 (Zuǒzhì)
• 佐理 (zuǒlǐ)
• 佐疾
• 佐相
• 佐策
• 佐膳
• 佐觴／佐觞
• 佐謀／佐谋
• 佐證／佐证 (zuǒzhèng)
• 佐貳／佐贰
• 佐車／佐车
• 佐輿／佐舆
• 佐轝
• 佐郡
• 佐酒 (zuǒjiǔ)
• 佐釗／佐钊
• 佐附
• 佐隸／佐隶
• 佐雜／佐杂
• 佐領／佐领
• 佐食
• 佐餐 (zuǒcān)
• 佐饔得嘗／佐饔得尝
• 佐鬥／佐斗
• 保佐
• 保佐人
• 假佐
• 僉佐／佥佐
• 僚佐 (liáozuǒ)
• 儲佐／储佐
• 元佐
• 出佐
• 匡佐
• 協佐／协佐
• 卿佐
• 參佐／参佐 (cānzuǒ)
• 史佐
• 吏佐
• 君臣佐使 (jūnchénzuǒshǐ)
• 四佐
• 坊佐
• 奉佐
• 孔佐
• 官佐
• 寮佐
• 將佐／将佐 (jiàngzuǒ)
• 屈佐
• 屠佐
• 屬佐／属佐
• 帝佐
• 幹佐／干佐
• 府佐
• 弼佐
• 從佐／从佐
• 御佐
• 扶佐
• 掾佐
• 擢佐
• 啟佐／启佐
• 旁佐
• 書佐／书佐
• 末佐
• 榦佐／干佐
• 正佐
• 毗佐
• 營佐／营佐
• 王佐
• 王佐之才
• 王佐才
• 皇佐
• 綱佐／纲佐
• 縣佐／县佐
• 翊佐
• 翼佐
• 臣佐
• 良佐
• 規佐／规佐
• 證佐／证佐
• 護佐／护佐
• 豐佐／丰佐
• 貞佐／贞佐
• 貳佐／贰佐
• 賓佐／宾佐
• 賢佐／贤佐
• 贊佐／赞佐
• 軍佐／军佐
• 輔佐／辅佐 (fǔzuǒ)
• 輔佐人／辅佐人
• 巡佐
• 運佐／运佐
• 邦佐
• 郡佐
• 鄉佐／乡佐
• 酒佐

 

References

• “佐”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

佐

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. aid
2. help
3. field officer (Military)

Readings

• Go-on: さ (sa, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: さ (sa, Jōyō)
• Kun: たすける (tasukeru, 佐ける)、たすけ (tasuke)、すけ (suke, 佐)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 佐 (MC tsaH).

Historical readings

• Recorded as Middle Korean 장〮 (Yale: cá) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.
• Recorded as Middle Korean 좌 (cwa) (Yale: cwa) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕwa̠(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [좌(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Wikisource

佐 (eumhun 도울 좌 (doul jwa))

1. hanja form^? of 좌 (“(literary) subordinate”)
2. hanja form^? of 좌 (“(military) commander; a field grade officer in the Korean People's Army”)

   (North Korea) 소좌 (少佐) ― Sojwa ― Junior Commander

   (North Korea) 중좌 (中佐) ― Jungjwa ― Lieutenant-Colonel; Middle Commander

   (North Korea) 상좌 (上佐) ― Sangjwa ― Colonel; High Commander

   (North Korea) 대좌 (大佐) ― Daejwa ― Senior Colonel; Brigadier; Grand Commander

Compounds

Compounds

• 좌거 (佐車, jwageo)
• 좌료 (佐僚, jwaryo)
• 좌리 (佐吏, jwari)
• 좌리 (佐理, jwari)
• 좌막 (佐幕, jwamak)
• 좌명 (佐命, jwamyeong)
• 좌반, 자반 (佐飯, jwaban, jaban)
• 좌사 (佐史, jwasa)
• 좌융 (佐戎, jwayung)
• 좌주 (佐酒, jwaju)
• 좌질 (佐疾, jwajil)
• 좌치 (佐治, jwachi)
• 대좌 (大佐, daejwa, “senior colonel; brigadier”)
• 보좌 (輔佐, bojwa, “assistance”)
• 상좌 (上佐, sangjwa, “colonel”)
• 소좌 (少佐, sojwa, “major; lieutenant commander”)
• 속좌 (屬佐, sokjwa)
• 장좌 (將佐, jangjwa)
• 중좌 (中佐, jungjwa, “lieutenant colonel”)
• 군신좌사 (君臣佐使, gunsinjwasa)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Vietnamese

Han character

佐: Hán Nôm readings: tá, tớ

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation