右
みぎ
migi
= right (direction); right side
右 (migi) is the Japanese word for “right” — a directional essential for navigating Japan’s streets, stations, and escalators, where which side you stand on can reveal exactly which city you’re in.
右 (migi) indicates the right direction or right side, as in 右に曲がる (migi ni magaru, turn right) or 右側 (migigawa, right side). The compound 右手 (migite) means right hand, while 右折 (usetsu) is the formal term for a right turn, used on road signs and in traffic announcements. In written and formal contexts, 右 shifts to its on-yomi reading “u” or “yū”: 右翼 (uyoku) means right-wing (political), and 右折禁止 (usetsu kinshi) means no right turn. Its essential contrast pair is 左 (hidari, left) — the two words are almost always learned and used together.
右 (migi) and 左 (hidari) are a paired set — Japanese learners should memorize them together. A common memory trick: 左 contains the character 工 (work) and historically the left hand was associated with tools, while 右 contains 口 (mouth), the eating hand. Watch out for escalator etiquette: in Tokyo, people stand on the left and walk on the right, while in Osaka it is the reverse — so 右に立つ (migi ni tatsu, stand on the right) carries different social weight depending on the city. The idiom 右に倣え (migi ni narae, literally “align to the right”) means to conform or follow the crowd, drawn from the school physical-education command to line up by facing right.
右 combines 又 (mata), an ancient pictograph of a right hand, with 口 (kuchi, mouth). The original character depicted a right hand raised near the mouth — interpreted as taking an oath or the act of eating with the right hand, which was the culturally dominant hand in ancient China and Japan.
Everyday use
次の角を右に曲がってください。
Tsugi no kado wo migi ni magatte kudasai.
Please turn right at the next corner.
Casual / Social Media
ナビが「三百メートル先を右折です」って言ってる。
Nabi ga ‘sanbyaku mētoru saki wo usetsu desu’ tte itteru.
The navigation app is saying ‘turn right in 300 meters.’
Formal / Cultural context
前方の交差点では右折禁止となっております。
Zenpō no kōsaten de wa usetsu kinshi to natte orimasu.
Right turns are prohibited at the intersection ahead.
Escalator etiquette in Japan splits along a clear geographic line defined by 右 and 左. In Tokyo and most of eastern Japan, the unwritten rule is to stand on the left (左側通行) and leave the right side open for people walking up. In Osaka and much of western Japan, it is the opposite — stand on the right, walk on the left. This difference surprises visitors who assume Japan has a single national standard, and locals notice immediately when a tourist stands on the wrong side.
The phrase 右に倣え (migi ni narae) originated as a military and physical-education command meaning “dress right” — soldiers or students align themselves by facing the person to their right. It entered everyday Japanese as a metaphor for blind conformity or following orders without question. Used in workplace and school contexts, it can carry a mildly critical tone, implying that someone is simply going along with the group rather than thinking independently.