沙 — “Sand” in Japanese

Master (高手)さ, しゃ, すな, よなげる

Radical ⽔ · radical 85 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Sand” in Japanese is 沙, read sa, sha, suna (さ, しゃ, すな, よなげる). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 沙漠 (desert).

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What does 沙 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	沙
Meaning	Sand
Readings	さ, しゃ, すな, よなげる
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	沙漠 (desert)

How to read 沙

沙 is read sa (さ) or sha (しゃ) or suna (すな) or yonageru (よなげる) depending on the word.

Words with 沙

沙漠

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Kanji read the same way as 沙

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28