noun
yellow sand; Asian dust
Refers to the seasonal phenomenon of fine sand and dust particles blown from arid regions of China and Mongolia, often causing haze and health advisories in East Asia. Commonly used in weather forecasts.
明日は黄砂が飛来する見込みです。
Yellow sand is expected to arrive tomorrow.
黄砂の影響で視界が悪くなっている。
Visibility is poor due to the yellow dust.
noun
Geological term for the wind-blown silt deposit that forms the source material for yellow sand. Often used in scientific contexts.
See also: 黄土
中国の黄土高原は黄砂の主要な発生源の一つだ。
The Loess Plateau in China is one of the main sources of yellow sand.
noun
Rare, literary, or archaic use referring to a sandy desert. Modern Japanese typically uses 砂漠 (さばく) for 'desert'.
See also: 砂漠
古い詩では「黄砂」が砂漠を意味することがある。
In old poetry, 黄砂 can mean a desert.
Variant kanji spelling; 沙 is an older form of 砂. Less common but still encountered.
Standard modern word for 'desert'. 黄砂 in the desert sense is rare and literary.
Refers to loess as a soil type, often used in geography. 黄砂 emphasizes the airborne dust phenomenon.
Fine particulate matter often mentioned alongside 黄砂 in air quality reports, but 黄砂 specifically refers to natural mineral dust.
Compound of 黄 (yellow) and 砂 (sand). The reading こうさ is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The variant reading おうさ uses the older go-on for 黄 and is considered irregular.