沙 meaning and stroke order
Sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated
How to write 沙, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 沙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- granule
- hoarse
- raspy
- sand
- powder
- abbr. for Tsar or Tsarist Russia
- (dialect) to sift; to sieve
How 沙 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Water.
氵 gives the meaning and 少 hints at the sound.
Radical: 氵 (water), shared by 467 characters on this site.
How to remember 沙
沙 combines water 氵 with 少 (shǎo, few, little). Picture water washing rocks down into tiny little bits, and what is left is sand. 少 also hints at the sound, since shǎo and shā start the same way.
沙 appears in words about sand and deserts, like 沙子 (shāzi) and 沙漠 (shāmò). It is also used to write sounds in loanwords, such as 沙发 (shāfā, sofa) and 沙拉 (shālā, salad). Example: 我们去沙滩玩吧。(Wǒmen qù shātān wán ba.) Let's go play on the beach.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 沙 with 砂 (shā), which has the stone radical 石 and is used for gritty materials like 砂纸 (shāzhǐ, sandpaper). For everyday words like 沙子, 沙漠 and 沙发, use 沙 with the water radical.
Common words with 沙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 沙发 | shāfā | (loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post | HSK 3 |
| 沙子 | shāzi | sand; grit | HSK 3 |
| 沙漠 | shāmò | desert | HSK 5 |
| 沙滩 | shātān | beach; sandy shore | HSK 7-9 |
| 沙龙 | shālóng | salon (loanword) | HSK 7-9 |
| 风沙 | fēngshā | sand blown by wind; sandstorm | HSK 7-9 |
| 沙拉 | shālā | (loanword) salad | |
| 沙皇 | shāhuáng | czar (loanword) | |
| 沙丘 | shāqiū | sand dune; sandy hill | |
| 沙丁鱼 | shādīngyú | sardine (loanword) | |
| 沙沙 | shāshā | rustle | |
| 沙袋 | shādài | sandbag; punching bag (trad. filled with sand) | |
| 沙漏 | shālòu | hourglass; sand filter | |
| 沙包 | shābāo | sandbag; punching bag (trad. filled with sand) |
沙 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 沙
Learning 沙 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 沙
How many strokes are in 沙?
沙 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 沙 mean?
沙 (shā) means sand, gravel, pebbles; granulated. A common word with it is 沙发 (shāfā), meaning "(loanword) sofa (CL:條|条[tiao2],張|张[zhang1]); (Internet slang) first reply to a forum post".
How do you pronounce 沙?
沙 is pronounced shā, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 沙?
The radical of 沙 is 氵, which carries the idea of "water". Dictionaries list 沙 under this radical.
Is 沙 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 沙 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does 沙发 mean sofa?
沙发 (shāfā) is a loanword chosen for its sound, which imitates the English word sofa. The characters do not describe a sofa by meaning. Online, 沙发 can also mean the first reply to a forum post.
Can 沙 describe a voice?
Yes. 沙 can mean hoarse or raspy, as in 沙哑 (shāyǎ), which describes a rough, husky voice. For example, 他的声音很沙哑 (Tā de shēngyīn hěn shāyǎ) means his voice is very hoarse.