沙 shā — sand · English

沙

shā

sand

At a glance · 沙

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从水少声，形声字，本指水中细散的石粒。隶楷作「沙」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「沙」本指水边细石，引申为沙土、沙漠。

Structure

形声字，水（氵）为意符，少为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinshā

Radical氵

Strokes7

UnicodeU+6C99

Character type形声

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English sand Sand; sandy, granular.

Français sable Sable; sablonneux, granulaire.

Español arena Arena; arenoso, granular.

العربية رمل رمل أو رملي.

Русский песок Песок; песчаный, зернистый.

Common words

沙子shā zisand
沙漠shā mòdesert

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