萨 meaning and stroke order
Buddhist diety; used in transliterations
How to write 萨, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 萨
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- used in 菩薩|菩萨[pu2 sa4]
- used in transliteration
How 萨 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 萨
Picture grass 艹 on top, then a hillside 阝 next to 产 (chǎn, to produce). Imagine a bodhisattva 菩萨 (púsà) sitting on a grassy hill, producing blessings for the world.
萨 (sà) rarely appears alone. It shows up in 菩萨 (púsà, bodhisattva) and in many loanwords that need a "sa" sound, such as pizza and saxophone. Example: 我们晚上吃披萨吧。(Wǒmen wǎnshang chī pīsà ba.) Let's have pizza tonight.
Common mistake: Learners often say 菩萨 as púsā with a first tone or a neutral tone, but the dictionary tone for 萨 is fourth tone, sà. When writing, keep 阝 on the left of 产 under the grass radical. Do not drop 阝 and write only 艹 over 产.
Common words with 萨
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
萨 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 萨
How many strokes are in 萨?
萨 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 萨 mean?
萨 (sà) means Buddhist diety; used in transliterations. A common word with it is 菩萨 (púsà), meaning "(Buddhism) bodhisattva".
How do you pronounce 萨?
萨 is pronounced sà, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 萨?
The radical of 萨 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 萨 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 萨?
The traditional form of 萨 is 薩. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 萨 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 萨 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 萨 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is pizza written 披萨 or 比萨?
Both are used. 披萨 (pīsà) is very common in everyday life, and 比萨 (bǐsà) or 比萨饼 (bǐsàbǐng) also appear on menus. 批萨 (pīsà) is a less common variant.
How do you say saxophone in Chinese?
Saxophone is 萨克斯 (sàkèsī) or the longer 萨克斯风 (sàkèsīfēng). Both are loanwords that use 萨 for the "sa" sound.