佐 means “aide, assist”

さ · sa

Also: assistant, help

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

サ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 4 · 7 strokes

The story

A person (亻) at your left (左) hand, ready to help: 左 itself once meant to assist, and 佐 took that sense over. 補佐 is an aide, 大佐 is a colonel, and the surname 佐藤, Sato, is the most common in Japan.

Used in 補佐 (hosa, aide/assistant), 大佐 (taisa, colonel), and 佐藤 (satou, Sato, a surname)

More from Samurai & Soldiers

• 士 warrior
• 隊 troop
• 塁 base (baseball)
• 陣 battle camp
• 幕 curtain
• 准 associate
• 庶 common people
• 班 squad
• 郭 enclosure
• 騎 horseback rider
• 藩 feudal domain
• 侍 samurai

Learn 佐 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.