砂 (shā): sand
砂 (shā) is a Chinese character meaning “sand.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 石 (structural) and 少 (structural). It ranks #2574 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 砂 many small 少 stones 石; 少 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 石 (stone) appears in many related characters such as 确 (què, certain, true), 碗 (wǎn, bowl), 碰 (pèng, to touch, to bump).
Definitions
- sand
Etymology & Origin
ideographicMany small 少 stones 石; 少 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿰石少 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
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Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 砂锅 | shā guō | casserole |
| 砂糖noun | shā táng | granulated sugar |
| 砂纸noun | shā zhǐ | sandpaper (i.e. abrasive) |
| 砂石noun | shā shí | sandstone |
| 砂砾 | shā lì | grit |
| 砂岩noun | shā yán | sandstone |
| 磨砂玻璃noun | mó shā bō li | frosted glass |
| 砂子 | shā zi | sand |
| 白砂糖noun | bái shā táng | white granulated sugar |
| 铁砂 | tiě shā | shot (in shotgun) |
| 朱砂noun | zhū shā | cinnabar |
| 硼砂noun | péng shā | borax |
| 砂浆noun | shā jiāng | mortar (building) |
| 打破砂锅问到底phrase | dǎ pò shā guō wèn dào dǐ | to go to the bottom of things (idiom) |
| 砂拉越proper-noun | shā lā yuè | see 沙撈越|沙捞越 |
砂 appears in 51 compound words: 35 as the first character, 39 as the last, and 25 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 砂 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
建筑工地需要大量的砂石，运输车来来往往。
Jiànzhù gōngdì xūyào dàliàng de shāshí, yùnshū chē láiláiwǎngwǎng.
Construction sites need large amounts of sand and gravel; transport trucks come and go.
影/新北砂石车猛撞机车...越南女骑士当场丧命 疑...
yǐng xīn běi shā shí chē měng zhuàng jī chē . . . yuè nán nǚ qí shì dāng chǎng sāng mìng yí . . .
Shadow/New Taipei sand and gravel truck slammed into locomotive... The Vietnamese female knight died on the spot suspicious...
白人女婿吃砂糖橘吃成贵州本地人,吃砂糖橘这些健康事项...
bái rén nǚ xù chī shā táng jú chī chéng guì zhōu běn dì rén , chī shā táng jú zhè xiē jiàn kāng shì xiàng . . .
The white son-in-law eats sugar oranges and eats them as Guizhou locals, and eats sugar oranges and other health matters...
白人女婿吃砂糖橘吃成贵州本地人?真相揭秘:这种黄皮肤...
bái rén nǚ xù chī shā táng jú chī chéng guì zhōu běn dì rén ? zhēn xiāng jiē mì : zhè zhǒng huáng pí fū . . .
The white son-in-law eats sugar oranges and becomes a native of Guizhou? The truth is revealed: this yellow skin...
沈桂贤:饮酒养猪不是问题!砂拉越多元包容才是真实力
沈 guì xián yǐn jiǔ yǎng zhū bù shì wèn tí ! shā lā yuè duō yuán bāo róng cái shì zhēn shí lì
Shen Guixian: Drinking and raising pigs is no problem! Sarawak's true strength lies in its diversity and inclusivity.
台灣失格旅人大鬧日本旅店!高砂屋暖回:不會把台人當麻煩製造者
tái 灣 shī gé lǚ rén dà 鬧 rì běn lǚ diàn ! gāo shā wū nuǎn huí bù 會 bǎ tái rén 當 má 煩 製 zào zhě
Disqualified Taiwanese Tourist Causes Ruckus at Japanese Inn! Takasago Inn Warmly Responds: "We Won't Treat Taiwanese as Troublemakers"
不好意思，可以帮我拿下砂糖吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, kěyǐ bāng wǒ náxià shātáng ma?
Excuse me, would you mind passing me the sugar?
我们需要面粉、砂糖和鸡蛋来做这个蛋糕。
Wǒmen xūyào miànfěn, shātáng hé jīdàn lái zuò zhège dàngāo.
We need flour, sugar and eggs to make this cake.
这家店卖的是牛油、奶酪、砂糖之类的食品。
Zhè jiā diàn mài de shì niúyóu, nǎilào, shātáng zhīlèi de shípǐn.
The store sells foodstuffs, such as butter, cheese, and sugar.
罐头里没有砂糖了。
Guàntou lǐ méiyǒu shātáng le.
There is no sugar left in the pot.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 砂 (shā)?
Is 砂 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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