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	/t͡sɑ^H/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sɑ^H/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sɑ^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sa^H/
Li Rong	/t͡sɑ^H/
Wang Li	/t͡sɑ^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sɑ^H/
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	‹ tsa^H ›
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
Old Chinese	/*ʔsaːls/

Definitions

佐

to assist; to aid; to second
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 / 佐𬛼
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)

aid
help
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))

hanja form^? of 좌 (“(literary) subordinate”)
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

군신좌사 (君臣佐使, gunsinjwasa)
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)
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)
중좌 (中佐, jungjwa, “lieutenant colonel”)

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

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

References

Nom Foundation