砂 (shā) - Sand & small granules, especially of rock or mineral

砂Tone 1

shā ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 石

三姗

砂 · shā

Sand;

small granules, especially of rock or mineral;

used in words related to geology, industry, and medicine.

Sandsmall granules, especially of rock or mineralused in words related to geology, industry, and

Usage highlights

SandSandstoneSandpaperSilica sandSandstormSand table

Synonyms

  • 沙— Sand (often interchangeable, but 沙 is more common for natural sand)

Antonyms

  • 石— Stone/rock (large vs. granular)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The beach has fine sand (细砂).
  • Silicon is derived from silica sand (硅砂).
  • Sandpaper is used for smoothing surfaces (砂纸).
  • Sandstone is a common sedimentary rock (砂岩).

Collocations

  • Sand(砂子)
  • Sandstone(砂岩)
  • Sandpaper(砂纸)
  • Silica sand(硅砂)
  • Sandstorm(砂暴)
  • Sand table(砂盘)

Idioms

  • Like a sand-scattering contest(一盘散砂)
  • Pounding sand to extract oil(砂里淘金)
  • Sands of the Ganges(恒河砂数)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, 'cinnabar sand' (朱砂) was used as a pigment and in alchemy.
  • Sand (砂) often symbolizes something numerous, minute, or insignificant in classical texts.
  • In feng shui, sand is associated with the earth element and stability.

FAQ