Spanish word

arena

Pronunciation

IPA/aˈɾena/

Meaning

  • feminine nounsand

Example

Los niños juegan en la arena de la playa.

The children play in the sand at the beach.

Illustration for arena (sand)

More examples

El niño recogió un grano de arena de su mano.

The boy picked up a grain of sand from his hand.

Core concept

Fine loose grains of rock and shell that form beaches and deserts.

Common phrases

  • castillo de arena

    sandcastle

  • grano de arena

    grain of sand

  • arena volcánica

    volcanic sand

Similar words

tierra: Dark, crumbly soil rich in organic matter and minerals for plant growth.
arenilla: Very fine, granular, gritty particles occurring in small quantities or handfuls.
polvo: Extremely fine powdery particles that settle on and cling to fabrics and surfaces.
grava: Coarse fragments of small stones forming a gritty, pebbly material.

Definition in Spanish

Sustancia granular compuesta por fragmentos muy finos de minerales o conchas, común en playas y desiertos.

Word origin

From Latin harēna, originally 'sandy ground', brought into Spanish through the Romance languages as arena.

Usage tips

  • Feminine and usually uncountable, arena appears as la arena or mucha arena, quantities use un grano de arena or un puñado de arena, and English arena (venue) is estadio.

Related words

  • arenalsandy areanoun
  • arenososandyadjective

Word lists with this word