How to Say “Make a left” in Chinese
Getting around
"Make a left" in Chinese is 左转 (Zuǒ zhuǎn). 左转 (zuǒ zhuǎn) is the standard, slightly formal phrasing; what you'd hear on GPS apps like 高德地图 or 百度地图. In everyday Mainland speech, people often say 往左拐 (wǎng zuǒ guǎi), where 拐 literally means 'turn a corner' and sounds more colloquial.
Primary translation
左转
Zuǒ zhuǎn
Traditional: 左轉
Variants by register
Casual
往左拐
Wǎng zuǒ guǎi
When to use it
左转 (zuǒ zhuǎn) is the standard, slightly formal phrasing; what you'd hear on GPS apps like 高德地图 or 百度地图. In everyday Mainland speech, people often say 往左拐 (wǎng zuǒ guǎi), where 拐 literally means 'turn a corner' and sounds more colloquial. Taiwanese speakers tend to prefer 左转 or 向左转. The verb 转 is third tone but when followed by another third tone (like 左), the first third tone shifts to second in actual pronunciation; a tone sandhi rule. Drivers use 左转, pedestrians use either interchangeably.
Example sentences
到路口左转。
Dào lùkǒu zuǒ zhuǎn.
Turn left at the intersection.
前面红绿灯往左拐。
Qiánmiàn hónglǜdēng wǎng zuǒ guǎi.
Make a left at the traffic light ahead.
左转之后就到了。
Zuǒ zhuǎn zhīhòu jiù dàole.
After turning left, you're there.
Related phrases
Learn the words behind the phrase
Want to say 左转 without looking it up? Build the vocabulary first.
HSK Lord starts you on the 300 words the new HSK 1 exam tests and schedules each review right before you would forget it. Free to start.