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Kotomora

砂

sand

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 6FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • サ
  • シャ

Kun'yomi

  • すな

Nanori

  • いさ
  • ご

Meaning

砂 centers on sand: the granular material found on beaches and in deserts.

Most common words using 砂

20 of 172
  • 砂糖さとう
    N5

    sugar

  • 砂すな
    N4

    sand; grit; fine gravel

  • 砂漠さばく
    N3

    desert

  • 土砂どしゃ
    N1

    sediment; earth and sand

  • 砂浜すなはま
    N1

    sandy beach

  • 砂利じゃり
    N1

    gravel; ballast; pebbles

  • 土砂崩れどしゃくずれ
    N2

    landslide

  • 高砂たかさご

    double-lined fusilier (Pterocaesio digramma)

  • 砂嵐すなあらし

    sandstorm

  • 砂時計すなどけい

    hourglass; sandglass

  • 砂場すなば

    sandpit; sandbox

  • 砂丘さきゅう

    sand dune; sand hill

  • 土砂降りどしゃぶり
    N1

    downpour; pouring rain; heavy rain; pelting rain; cloudburst

  • 黄砂こうさ

    yellow sand; yellow dust; Asian dust; dust carried on high winds from Mongolia, northern China, and Kazakhstan

  • 砂州さす

    sandbar; sandbank; shoal

  • 砂子すなご

    gold dust; silver dust

  • 角砂糖かくざとう

    cube sugar; sugar cube

  • サハラ砂漠サハラさばく

    Sahara Desert

  • 白砂しらす

    shirasu; white pumiceous soil of southern Kyushu

  • 白砂はくしゃ

    white sand

Explore all words using 砂 →

Study

Etymology

砂 combines 石 (stone) with 少, which likely contributes the sound and suggests smallness, giving the idea of small stone particles: sand.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is stone 石, and the right side is few/little 少. Picture a stone broken into few tiny grains: that is sand.

Reading mnemonic

For サ, imagine a sandy beach where you sit under the sun: sun -> サ, and the sand is warm beneath you.