Meaning of 沙子
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- sand
- grit
Measure word: 粒,把
How to use 沙子
沙子 is the common spoken word for sand or grit, used for beaches, construction sand, or a speck in your eye or food. Example: 我的鞋里有沙子。(Wǒ de xié li yǒu shāzi.) There is sand in my shoes.
沙 (shā) combines the water radical 氵 with 少 (shǎo, few, little), so picture water washing rock down into tiny little grains. Add the noun suffix 子 (zi) and you get 沙子, the everyday word for sand.
Common mistake: Learners often say the 子 with a full third tone (zǐ), but in 沙子 it is neutral and light: shāzi, just like 孩子 (háizi) and 桌子 (zhuōzi). Also do not confuse 沙 with 砂 (shā), a variant with the stone radical used in some technical words like 砂纸 (shāzhǐ, sandpaper).
沙子 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
沙 shā · sand · 7 strokes
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子 zi · noun suffix · 3 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 沙子.
Questions about 沙子
What does 沙子 mean?
沙子 (shāzi) means "sand; grit" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 沙子?
沙子 is made of 2 characters: 沙 (7 strokes), 子 (3 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 沙子 an HSK word?
Yes. 沙子 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 沙子 and 沙滩?
沙子 means the sand itself, the material. 沙滩 (shātān) means a sandy beach, the place. You play on a 沙滩 and get 沙子 in your hair.
Is 沙子 countable in Chinese?
Usually it is treated as a mass noun, so you say 一些沙子 (yìxiē shāzi, some sand) or 一堆沙子 (yì duī shāzi, a pile of sand). For a single grain, use 一粒沙子 (yí lì shāzi).