沙 (shā) - sand & grit

沙Tone 1

shā ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

三姗

沙 · shā

sand;

grit;

granular substance;

hoarse;

a surname

sandgritgranular substance

Usage highlights

sanddesertbeachsandstormsandwichhoarse voice

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 石— stone (larger than sand)
  • 清亮— clear (voice, opposite of hoarse)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The beach has fine sand (沙滩).
  • His voice became hoarse from shouting (声音沙哑).
  • We ate red bean paste buns (豆沙包).
  • The desert is full of sand (沙漠).

Collocations

  • sand(沙子)
  • desert(沙漠)
  • beach(沙滩)
  • sandstorm(沙尘暴)
  • sandwich(三明治 - loanword using 沙)
  • hoarse voice(沙哑)

Idioms

  • Like scattered sand(一盘散沙)
  • Extracting gold from sand(沙里淘金)
  • Flying sand and rolling stones(飞沙走石)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Chinese culture, sand often symbolizes something numerous, scattered, or insignificant.
  • The character appears in many geographical names and is a common surname.
  • Buddhist references to 'sands of the Ganges' represent countless numbers.

FAQ