How do you say "sand" in Japanese?

砂

suna

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "sand" is 砂 (suna).

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Pronunciation

砂 is written using kanji. Romanised as suna, it sounds roughly like "soo-nah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Suna (砂) is a simple, common kanji for sand and is one of the first words children learn. It appears in compound words for beaches and deserts.

Example sentence

あの砂はとても大きいです。

Ano Suna wa totemo ookii desu.

That sand is very large.

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How to remember 砂

The kanji 砂 contains the stone radical, suggesting sand is tiny bits of stone. Think of sand slipping through your fingers.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 砂

How do you pronounce 砂?

砂 is romanised as suna. Say it roughly like "soo-nah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 砂 formal or casual?

砂 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 砂 written in Japanese?

砂 is written using kanji. Suna (砂) is a simple, common kanji for sand and is one of the first words children learn.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Sand" in other languages

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