砂 — “sand” in Japanese

Grade 6さ, しゃ, すな

Radical ⽯ · radical 112 The building block this kanji is filed under

“sand” in Japanese is 砂, read sa, sha, suna (さ, しゃ, すな). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 砂漠 (desert).

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What does 砂 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	砂
Meaning	sand
Readings	さ, しゃ, すな
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	砂漠 (desert)

How to read 砂

砂 is read sa (さ) or sha (しゃ) or suna (すな) depending on the word.

Words with 砂

土砂どしゃ
砂漠
砂糖

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Kanji read the same way as 砂

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28