noun
horizontal writing from left to right
Refers to the practice of writing horizontally from left to right, as opposed to traditional vertical writing or right-to-left horizontal writing. Often used in contexts discussing writing direction, especially for Japanese.
日本語の横書きは左書きが一般的です。
Horizontal writing in Japanese is generally left-to-right.
この書類は左書きで作成してください。
Please prepare this document in left-to-right horizontal writing.
右書き means writing from right to left horizontally, which was common in pre-modern Japanese but is now rare.
縦書き is vertical writing, the traditional Japanese writing direction, while 左書き is horizontal left-to-right.
横書き is horizontal writing in general; 左書き specifies the left-to-right direction within horizontal writing.
Compound of 左 (ひだり, 'left') and 書き (かき, 'writing'), from the verb 書く (かく, 'to write').