shā zi
sand; grit
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沙子进了我的眼睛。
Shāzi jìnle wǒ de yǎnjing.
Sand got into my eyes.
沙子太多了，我不能走路了。
Shāzi tài duōle, wǒ bùnéng zǒulùle.
There is too much sand, I can't walk.
沙子很烫，我不能坐在这里。
Shāzi hěn tàng, wǒ bùnéng zuò zài zhèlǐ.
The sand is too hot, I can't sit here.
砂 (shā)
sand
细沙 (xì shā)
fine sand
泥土 (ní tǔ)
soil
岩石 (yán shí)
rock
The Chinese word 沙子 (shāzi) for "sand" is composed of two characters: 沙 (shā) and 子 (zi). The character 沙 originally meant "sandy soil" or "gravel", and it is believed to have originated from the ancient Chinese word 莎 (shā), which referred to a type of reed that grows in sandy areas. The character 子 (zi) is a common suffix in Chinese that can indicate a small or diminutive form, so 沙子 literally means "small sand" or "grains of sand". Over time, the word 沙子 came to be used more broadly to refer to sand in general.
