HSK · Level 11
135 words
Chinese word
沙子
Pronunciation
Pinyinshā zi
Meaning
- nounsand
Example
孩子在沙滩上玩沙子。hái zi zài shā tān shàng wán shā zi
The child is playing with sand on the beach.
More examples
孩子用手堆起了沙子。hái zi yòng shǒu duī qǐ le shā zi
The child piled up sand with their hands.
Core concept
A loose mass of tiny mineral particles that slips through the fingers and spreads into a soft surface.
Common phrases
玩沙子wán shā zi
play with sand
堆沙子duī shā zi
pile up sand
捡沙子jiǎn shā zi
pick up sand
Similar words
沙滩shā tān: A level, sandy area along the shore of a sea or lake.
沙漠shā mò: A wide, dry land region where few plants grow and sand covers much of the ground.
土tǔ: The soft substance forming the ground where plants commonly grow.
石头shí tou: A solid, hard piece of mineral that does not crumble when pinched.
Definition in Chinese
细小的颗粒状物质，通常指能从手中流动的砂粒或构成松散地表的砂层。xì xiǎo de kē lì zhuàng wù zhì tōng cháng zhǐ néng cóng shǒu zhōng liú dòng de shā lì huò gòu chéng sōng sàn dì biǎo de shā céng
Word origin
沙子 (shāzi, "sand") combines 沙 (shā, "fine sediment") with 子 (zi, "noun-forming suffix"), naming both separate grains and the loose material they form.
Usage tips
- English separates the mass noun sand from the countable phrase grain of sand, while this Chinese noun can cover both readings; context or a measure phrase shows which is meant.