Sand in different languages

Sand in Different Languages

Discover 'Sand' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

Sand, a tiny granular particle, may seem insignificant. However, its significance is colossal. From construction to luminous glow in hourglasses, from children's play to natural exfoliator in spas, sand plays a pivotal role in our lives. Culturally, sand holds deep importance in various rituals and practices worldwide. For instance, in Hinduism, sand is used in religious rituals to represent the eternal flow of life. In Buddhism, sand mandalas symbolize the transient nature of life.

Ever wondered how 'sand' translates in different languages? It's a fascinating exploration of language and culture. For example, in Spanish, it's 'arena', in French 'sable', in German 'Sand', in Russian 'песок' (pesok), in Japanese '砂' (suna), and in Chinese '沙' (shā).

Delving into these translations offers a glimpse into the diverse ways cultures perceive and interact with this humble material. So, join us as we embark on this linguistic and cultural journey, celebrating the global significance of sand.

Sand


Sand in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanssand
The Afrikaans word "sand" can also refer to "grit" or "soil."
Amharicአሸዋ
The Amharic word "አሸዋ" ("sand") can also refer to "the sand of glass" in a figurative sense.
Hausayashi
Although it is commonly associated with deserts, 'yashi' (sand) can also refer to sediment or granules of various types in Hausa.
Igboájá
Ájá may also mean 'beach' or 'seashore' in Igbo.
Malagasyfasika
"Fasika" can also mean "hour" or "time" in Malagasy, likely stemming from its use in measuring the flow of time as an hourglass.
Nyanja (Chichewa)mchenga
In Nyanja (Chichewa), 'mchenga' means 'sand' and it is also slang for 'money'.
Shonajecha
Jecha originates from the name of a place named Jecha near Rusape where soil erosion created extensive deposits of white sand
Somaliciid
Somali ciid "sand" comes from Arabic sa'īd "dry, barren" or "happy, blessed" and has alternate meanings of barren ground and blessing.
Sesotholehlabathe
In Sesotho, 'lehlabathe' also refers to a small type of edible seed found in the mountains.
Swahilimchanga
The word "mchanga" can also refer to a financial contribution or fundraiser
Xhosaisanti
The word "isanti" in Xhosa can also refer to a very fine type of sand used for sanding or polishing.
Yorubaiyanrin
The word "iyanrin" in Yoruba can also refer to a granular substance or a sandy area.
Zuluisihlabathi
"Isihlabathi" can also refer to "gravel","sand used to sharpen the blade of an ax or spear," or "sand mixed with water for plastering floors"
Bambaracɛncɛn
Eweke
Kinyarwandaumucanga
Lingalazelo
Lugandaomusenyu
Sepedisanta
Twi (Akan)anwea

Sand in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicالرمل
The word "الرمل" can also refer to a poetic meter in Arabic literature known as "ar-Ramal".
Hebrewחוֹל
The word "חוֹל" ("khol") in Hebrew also means "weakness"}
Pashtoشګه
The word "شګه" also means "sand" in Pashto
Arabicالرمل
The word "الرمل" can also refer to a poetic meter in Arabic literature known as "ar-Ramal".

Sand in Western European Languages

Albanianrërë
In Albanian, "rërë" not only means "sand" but also refers to "a sandy area".
Basqueharea
Hare(a) is also the name of a type of small beach in the Basque Country, usually sheltered from the waves by cliffs or rocks.
Catalansorra
In some parts of Catalonia, "sorra" can also mean "dirt" or "soil".
Croatianpijesak
The word "pijesak" also means "fine sand" used in construction.
Danishsand
In Danish, "sand" can also refer to a small amount of money or a short period of time.
Dutchzand
"Zand" also means a sandy area with dunes along the shore.
Englishsand
The word "sand" derives from the Old English word "sand" which meant "sandy soil" and the Old Saxon word "sand" meaning "fine gravel".
Frenchle sable
In French, “le sable” can also refer to a fine powder made from precious stones, or to the gritty particles found in urine.
Frisiansân
The word "sân" can also mean "ground" or "floor" in Frisian, and is cognate with the Dutch word "zand" and the English word "sand".
Galicianarea
Galician 'area' also means 'threshing floor'.
Germansand
Der Begriff "Sand" im Deutschen bezieht sich auch auf feinkörnigen Staub oder Kies.
Icelandicsandur
In Icelandic, "sandur" can also refer to a large area of barren land covered in sand or gravel.
Irishgaineamh
The word 'gaineamh' in Irish derives from the Old Irish 'gáine', which in turn is likely derived from Proto-Celtic '*gannā' meaning "rock" or "grit".
Italiansabbia
The word "sabbia" derives from the Latin "sabulum" (sand), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*psam- " (sand).
Luxembourgishsand
In Luxembourgish, 'sand' can also refer to the 'hourglass' or 'time'
Malteseramel
"Ramel" derives from Arabic "ramlah" meaning "sand" or "shore" and also refers to a "sandy beach" in Maltese.
Norwegiansand
The word "sand" can also refer to a sandy area, such as a beach or desert.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)areia
"Areia" also means 'small gravel' and comes from the Gothic word *ariza*.
Scots Gaelicgainmheach
The Scots Gaelic word "gainmheach" is the diminutive form of "gaineamh," and its modern meaning of "sand" only emerged in the 16th century.
Spanisharena
In Spanish, the word 'arena' can also refer to the place where gladiatorial contests were held.
Swedishsand
In Swedish, "sand" can also refer to a "sandy beach" or a "sandbank".
Welshtywod
The Welsh word 'tywod' is etymologically related to the Latin 'tutela', meaning 'protection', and may have originally meant 'protective covering'.

Sand in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпясок
Belarusian "пясок" derives from Old East Slavic песъкъ meaning "dust" or "fine sand".
Bosnianpijesak
The etymology of "pijesak" derives from Proto-Slavic "pьsъ" and is related to the words "pješčan/pjesak" (sand) in Serbo-Croatian.
Bulgarianпясък
The Bulgarian word "пясък" is cognate to the Old Church Slavonic "пѣс(ъ)къ", which in turn derives from the Proto-Indo-European root "*peis-, *pish-" meaning "to grind".
Czechpísek
The word "písek" also refers to the South Bohemian city of Písek, named after the sand deposits on which it was built.
Estonianliiv
It is thought that the word "liiv" may be derived from the ancient Finnish word "hieva", meaning "dry". It is also cognate with the Latvian word "sīks", meaning "fine".
Finnishhiekka
Hiekka may also refer to a sandy type of soil in Finnish, or it may refer to small, dry snow crystals.
Hungarianhomok
In Hungarian, the word "homok" not only refers to "sand" but also to the concept of "emptiness" or "lack of substance".
Latviansmiltis
The word "smiltis" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *smilt-, meaning "fine sand" or "dust."
Lithuaniansmėlis
The Slavic root "*pěsъkъ" was borrowed via Old Prussian "*smēlis" or Old Polish "*piasek".
Macedonianпесок
The word "песок" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsъkъ, meaning "sand, gravel, dust". It also has the alternate meaning of "the shore".
Polishpiasek
The word "piasek" is also used to refer to the fine particles that are produced when something is ground or crushed.
Romaniannisip
The Romanian word "nisip" is derived from the Latin word "glarea" and can also mean "gravel".
Russianпесок
The word песок originated from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsъkъ, which also meant dust or soil.
Serbianпесак
The Serbian word "песак" (sand) likely originates from the Proto-Slavic word "pěsъkъ" meaning "fine sand."
Slovakpiesok
The word 'piesok' is also used in Slovak to refer to fine-grained soil that is not necessarily composed of sand.
Slovenianpesek
The word "pesek" is a Slavic word, related to the Sanskrit word "pasika"
Ukrainianпісок
The Ukrainian word "пісок" also means "sugar" in some contexts, particularly in Western Ukraine.

Sand in South Asian Languages

Bengaliবালু
"বালুক" (baluk) is the Sanskrit word for sand, which is also used in many other Indo-Aryan languages, including Bengali.
Gujaratiરેતી
The word "રેતી" in Gujarati comes from the Sanskrit root "ret" meaning "to flow", and also refers to a type of riverbed
Hindiरेत
रेत ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word 'iriṆā' meaning 'dry' and relates to similar words in many Indo-European languages like 'arena' (Latin), 'sand' (English) and 'άμμος' (Greek).
Kannadaಮರಳು
In Kannada, the word "ಮರಳು" can also refer to a type of fish found in the ocean.
Malayalamമണല്
The word "മണല്" (sand) is likely derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*manal" with the same meaning.
Marathiवाळू
The term "वाळू" derives from Sanskrit "vālukā" or "vāla," meaning "sand" or "hair," hinting at its fine grains.
Nepaliबालुवा
The word 'baluwa' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'valukā', which refers to fine sand or gravel.
Punjabiਰੇਤ
"ਰੇਤ" (sand) in Punjabi is also used figuratively to refer to a multitude or a large number of something.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)වැලි
In Sinhala, “වැලි” (sand) is also used figuratively to mean “a large number of people” or “a crowd.”
Tamilமணல்
The Tamil word "மணல்" not only means 'sand', but can also mean 'grain' or 'gravel'.
Teluguఇసుక
The word "ఇసుక" is likely derived from the Dravidian root word "iśa", meaning "to be soft" or "to be fine".
Urduریت
The word "ریت" in Urdu also means "custom" or "tradition".

Sand in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)
The character "砂" can also refer to a type of gemstone or a unit of measurement for gold.
Chinese (Traditional)
"砂" can also refer to the coarse or rough texture of a gemstone.
Japanese
砂 (すな, suna) can also mean “small stones” or “gravel”.
Korean모래
The Korean word "모래" (sand) is derived from the Middle Korean word "마래" (sand), which is thought to be derived from the Proto-Koreanic word *mar-.
Mongolianэлс
The word 'элс' may also refer to the Mongolian province of Govi-Altai, known for its vast desert area.
Myanmar (Burmese)သဲ
"သဲ" (sand) can also refer to granular substances such as sugar, salt or rice in Myanmar (Burmese).

Sand in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianpasir
The word "pasir" in Indonesian also means "riverbank," perhaps a reference to the sandy, sediment-filled shore common along rivers.
Javanesewedhi
According to the Javanese dictionary, the word "wedhi" can also mean "earth", "land", or "soil"
Khmerខ្សាច់
The Khmer word "ខ្សាច់" is also used to refer to small grains or particles, such as the granules in a medicine or the grains of rice in a dish.
Laoຊາຍ
In Lao, ຊາຍ can also mean a male person or a person's husband.
Malaypasir
"Pasir" can also refer to granulated sugar, as in "pasir gula" (sugar sand).
Thaiทราย
In Thai, "ทราย" (sand) can also refer to sugar crystals or the powder in certain cosmetics.
Vietnamesecát
The word "cát" can also refer to "sandals", and is likely derived from the Chinese word "jia", meaning "footwear".
Filipino (Tagalog)buhangin

Sand in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniqum
"Qum" also means "sea" in Azerbaijani.
Kazakhқұм
The Kazakh word "құм" also refers to a sandy area, especially a desert.
Kyrgyzкум
The word "кум" can also refer to a sandy soil or a desert.
Tajikрег
The Russian word "пег" (stick), which is used as a term in the Soviet game "lapta," originated from the Tajik word "рег" (sand), because it was played on a strip of sandy soil.
Turkmengum
Uzbekqum
In Uzbek, "qum" has additional meanings such as "desert" or "arid land".
Uyghurقۇم

Sand in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianone
In Hawaiian, the word 'one' also means 'red earth' and is the namesake of an ancient chief named Ka-one.
Maorione
The word "one" can also refer to a beach, a stretch of coastline, or the inhabitants of a beach community.
Samoanoneone
In Samoan, “oneone” is also a term of endearment for a child.
Tagalog (Filipino)buhangin
The Tagalog word "buhangin" is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "*buhaŋin" meaning "fine sand or gravel".

Sand in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarach'alla
Guaraniyvyku'i

Sand in International Languages

Esperantosablo
The word "sablo" in Esperanto is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sabel-", which also gave rise to the English word "sand" and the French word "sable".
Latinharenae
In botany 'harenae' refers to coarse sand.

Sand in Others Languages

Greekάμμος
The Greek word
Hmongxuab zeb
The Hmong word "xuab zeb" also means "grain of sand" in a more literal sense, referring to the individual particles that make up sand.
Kurdishqûm
The Kurdish word "qûm" also refers to a specific type of soil with a high sand content found in certain regions.
Turkishkum
The Turkish word “kum” is also used to refer to the sediment found in the kidneys and bladder.
Xhosaisanti
The word "isanti" in Xhosa can also refer to a very fine type of sand used for sanding or polishing.
Yiddishזאַמד
The Yiddish word "זאַמד" can also refer to "fine dust" and is related to the German word "Sand".
Zuluisihlabathi
"Isihlabathi" can also refer to "gravel","sand used to sharpen the blade of an ax or spear," or "sand mixed with water for plastering floors"
Assameseবালি
Aymarach'alla
Bhojpuriबालू
Dhivehiވެލި
Dogriरेत
Filipino (Tagalog)buhangin
Guaraniyvyku'i
Ilocanodarat
Kriosansan
Kurdish (Sorani)خۆڵ
Maithiliबालू
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯂꯩꯉꯣꯏ
Mizovut
Oromocirracha
Odia (Oriya)ବାଲି
Quechuaaqu
Sanskritवालुका
Tatarком
Tigrinyaሑጻ
Tsongasava

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