The Contrast Between the Terms "Yamin" and "Shemal" in Translations of the Holy Quran with a Semantic Approach

According to semantic theories, one of the best ways to understand the meaning of words, along with the use of vocabulary resources and etc., is to use the feature of contrast. The present study deals with the semantic analysis of the opposition of the words “Yamin” and “Shemal” in the Holy Quran, while in this opposition, “Yamin” is presented to “Shemal”, and in addition to the opposition, the use of the context of the preceding and following verses is also considered. . Sometimes, from the context or the meaning of the opposite word, some meanings are understood that cannot be seen in any dictionary. Besides, there is a semantic affinity between the understood meaning and the original word. Based on the findings of this research, the words yamin and north generally mean "right" and "left", but they have other secondary meanings that are related to the main meaning. Other meanings of the word Yamin are power, goodness, ownership, agreement and oath, all of which are related to the right hand. The word north, in addition to left hand and left side, conveys the meaning of weakness and (spiritual) weakness, which is related to the original meaning. But when the word ashab is added to these two words, they no longer mean directions, and this matter has been overlooked by most translators, and the meaning has not been fulfilled.