沙子 shāzi sand
sand; grit
How to remember 沙子: 沙 sand + 子 child = sand.
Characters
How it is used
- Sand/grit - 一把沙子 (yì bǎ shāzi) a handful of sand, 眼里进沙子 got sand in my eye.
- 沙子 is the everyday countable-ish word; 沙 alone appears in compounds (沙漠, 沙滩 beach).
- The 子 is a noun suffix; measure with 粒 (lì) for a grain: 一粒沙子.
- 沙 also means 'hoarse' as in 沙哑 (voice).
Example sentences
- 汤姆弯下腰，捧起了一把沙子。 Tāngmǔ wān xiàyāo, pěngqǐ le yībǎ shāzi.Tom bent down and picked up a handful of sand.