sand dune; sand hill
Refers to a hill or ridge of sand formed by wind, typically in deserts or coastal areas.
鳥取砂丘は日本で有名な観光地です。
The Tottori Sand Dunes are a famous tourist spot in Japan.
The tourists walked across the sand dune and took photos.
砂漠には大きな砂丘がいくつも連なっている。
In the desert, many large sand dunes stretch in rows.
The children climbed up the big sand dune to play.
Sand dunes stretch along the coastline.
砂丘 is a specific ridge or hill of sand, while 砂漠 is the broader arid desert region in which such dunes may occur.
Standard kanji spelling. 砂 means 'sand' and 丘 means 'hill'.
Irregular kanji variant; 沙 is an older form of 砂. Rarely used in modern Japanese.
Compound of 砂 (sand) and 丘 (hill). The reading さきゅう is the standard on'yomi. The variant しゃきゅう is a less common reading of the same characters.