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
| Afrikaans | sand | ||
| The Afrikaans word "sand" can also refer to "grit" or "soil." | |||
| Amharic | አሸዋ | ||
| The Amharic word "አሸዋ" ("sand") can also refer to "the sand of glass" in a figurative sense. | |||
| Hausa | yashi | ||
| Although it is commonly associated with deserts, 'yashi' (sand) can also refer to sediment or granules of various types in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | ájá | ||
| Ájá may also mean 'beach' or 'seashore' in Igbo. | |||
| Malagasy | fasika | ||
| "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'. | |||
| Shona | jecha | ||
| Jecha originates from the name of a place named Jecha near Rusape where soil erosion created extensive deposits of white sand | |||
| Somali | ciid | ||
| Somali ciid "sand" comes from Arabic sa'īd "dry, barren" or "happy, blessed" and has alternate meanings of barren ground and blessing. | |||
| Sesotho | lehlabathe | ||
| In Sesotho, 'lehlabathe' also refers to a small type of edible seed found in the mountains. | |||
| Swahili | mchanga | ||
| The word "mchanga" can also refer to a financial contribution or fundraiser | |||
| Xhosa | isanti | ||
| The word "isanti" in Xhosa can also refer to a very fine type of sand used for sanding or polishing. | |||
| Yoruba | iyanrin | ||
| The word "iyanrin" in Yoruba can also refer to a granular substance or a sandy area. | |||
| Zulu | isihlabathi | ||
| "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" | |||
| Bambara | cɛncɛn | ||
| Ewe | ke | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umucanga | ||
| Lingala | zelo | ||
| Luganda | omusenyu | ||
| Sepedi | santa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | anwea | ||
Sand in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | الرمل | ||
| The word "الرمل" can also refer to a poetic meter in Arabic literature known as "ar-Ramal". | |||
| Hebrew | חוֹל | ||
| The word "חוֹל" ("khol") in Hebrew also means "weakness"} | |||
| Pashto | شګه | ||
| The word "شګه" also means "sand" in Pashto | |||
| Arabic | الرمل | ||
| The word "الرمل" can also refer to a poetic meter in Arabic literature known as "ar-Ramal". | |||
Sand in Western European Languages
| Albanian | rërë | ||
| In Albanian, "rërë" not only means "sand" but also refers to "a sandy area". | |||
| Basque | harea | ||
| 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. | |||
| Catalan | sorra | ||
| In some parts of Catalonia, "sorra" can also mean "dirt" or "soil". | |||
| Croatian | pijesak | ||
| The word "pijesak" also means "fine sand" used in construction. | |||
| Danish | sand | ||
| In Danish, "sand" can also refer to a small amount of money or a short period of time. | |||
| Dutch | zand | ||
| "Zand" also means a sandy area with dunes along the shore. | |||
| English | sand | ||
| The word "sand" derives from the Old English word "sand" which meant "sandy soil" and the Old Saxon word "sand" meaning "fine gravel". | |||
| French | le sable | ||
| In French, “le sable” can also refer to a fine powder made from precious stones, or to the gritty particles found in urine. | |||
| Frisian | sân | ||
| The word "sân" can also mean "ground" or "floor" in Frisian, and is cognate with the Dutch word "zand" and the English word "sand". | |||
| Galician | area | ||
| Galician 'area' also means 'threshing floor'. | |||
| German | sand | ||
| Der Begriff "Sand" im Deutschen bezieht sich auch auf feinkörnigen Staub oder Kies. | |||
| Icelandic | sandur | ||
| In Icelandic, "sandur" can also refer to a large area of barren land covered in sand or gravel. | |||
| Irish | gaineamh | ||
| 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". | |||
| Italian | sabbia | ||
| The word "sabbia" derives from the Latin "sabulum" (sand), which in turn comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*psam- " (sand). | |||
| Luxembourgish | sand | ||
| In Luxembourgish, 'sand' can also refer to the 'hourglass' or 'time' | |||
| Maltese | ramel | ||
| "Ramel" derives from Arabic "ramlah" meaning "sand" or "shore" and also refers to a "sandy beach" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | sand | ||
| 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 Gaelic | gainmheach | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word "gainmheach" is the diminutive form of "gaineamh," and its modern meaning of "sand" only emerged in the 16th century. | |||
| Spanish | arena | ||
| In Spanish, the word 'arena' can also refer to the place where gladiatorial contests were held. | |||
| Swedish | sand | ||
| In Swedish, "sand" can also refer to a "sandy beach" or a "sandbank". | |||
| Welsh | tywod | ||
| 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
| Belarusian | пясок | ||
| Belarusian "пясок" derives from Old East Slavic песъкъ meaning "dust" or "fine sand". | |||
| Bosnian | pijesak | ||
| The etymology of "pijesak" derives from Proto-Slavic "pьsъ" and is related to the words "pješčan/pjesak" (sand) in Serbo-Croatian. | |||
| Bulgarian | пясък | ||
| 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". | |||
| Czech | písek | ||
| The word "písek" also refers to the South Bohemian city of Písek, named after the sand deposits on which it was built. | |||
| Estonian | liiv | ||
| 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". | |||
| Finnish | hiekka | ||
| Hiekka may also refer to a sandy type of soil in Finnish, or it may refer to small, dry snow crystals. | |||
| Hungarian | homok | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "homok" not only refers to "sand" but also to the concept of "emptiness" or "lack of substance". | |||
| Latvian | smiltis | ||
| The word "smiltis" in Latvian is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *smilt-, meaning "fine sand" or "dust." | |||
| Lithuanian | smėlis | ||
| The Slavic root "*pěsъkъ" was borrowed via Old Prussian "*smēlis" or Old Polish "*piasek". | |||
| Macedonian | песок | ||
| The word "песок" ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsъkъ, meaning "sand, gravel, dust". It also has the alternate meaning of "the shore". | |||
| Polish | piasek | ||
| The word "piasek" is also used to refer to the fine particles that are produced when something is ground or crushed. | |||
| Romanian | nisip | ||
| The Romanian word "nisip" is derived from the Latin word "glarea" and can also mean "gravel". | |||
| Russian | песок | ||
| The word песок originated from the Proto-Slavic word *pěsъkъ, which also meant dust or soil. | |||
| Serbian | песак | ||
| The Serbian word "песак" (sand) likely originates from the Proto-Slavic word "pěsъkъ" meaning "fine sand." | |||
| Slovak | piesok | ||
| The word 'piesok' is also used in Slovak to refer to fine-grained soil that is not necessarily composed of sand. | |||
| Slovenian | pesek | ||
| The word "pesek" is a Slavic word, related to the Sanskrit word "pasika" | |||
| Ukrainian | пісок | ||
| The Ukrainian word "пісок" also means "sugar" in some contexts, particularly in Western Ukraine. | |||
Sand in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বালু | ||
| "বালুক" (baluk) is the Sanskrit word for sand, which is also used in many other Indo-Aryan languages, including Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | રેતી | ||
| The word "રેતી" in Gujarati comes from the Sanskrit root "ret" meaning "to flow", and also refers to a type of riverbed | |||
| Hindi | रेत | ||
| 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). | |||
| Kannada | ಮರಳು | ||
| In Kannada, the word "ಮರಳು" can also refer to a type of fish found in the ocean. | |||
| Malayalam | മണല് | ||
| The word "മണല്" (sand) is likely derived from the Proto-Dravidian word "*manal" with the same meaning. | |||
| Marathi | वाळू | ||
| The term "वाळू" derives from Sanskrit "vālukā" or "vāla," meaning "sand" or "hair," hinting at its fine grains. | |||
| Nepali | बालुवा | ||
| The word 'baluwa' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'valukā', which refers to fine sand or gravel. | |||
| Punjabi | ਰੇਤ | ||
| "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.” | |||
| Tamil | மணல் | ||
| The Tamil word "மணல்" not only means 'sand', but can also mean 'grain' or 'gravel'. | |||
| Telugu | ఇసుక | ||
| The word "ఇసుక" is likely derived from the Dravidian root word "iśa", meaning "to be soft" or "to be fine". | |||
| Urdu | ریت | ||
| The word "ریت" in Urdu also means "custom" or "tradition". | |||
Sand in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 砂 | ||
| The character "砂" can also refer to a type of gemstone or a unit of measurement for gold. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 砂 | ||
| "砂" can also refer to the coarse or rough texture of a gemstone. | |||
| Japanese | 砂 | ||
| 砂 (すな, suna) can also mean “small stones” or “gravel”. | |||
| Korean | 모래 | ||
| 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-. | |||
| Mongolian | элс | ||
| 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
| Indonesian | pasir | ||
| The word "pasir" in Indonesian also means "riverbank," perhaps a reference to the sandy, sediment-filled shore common along rivers. | |||
| Javanese | wedhi | ||
| According to the Javanese dictionary, the word "wedhi" can also mean "earth", "land", or "soil" | |||
| Khmer | ខ្សាច់ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Lao | ຊາຍ | ||
| In Lao, ຊາຍ can also mean a male person or a person's husband. | |||
| Malay | pasir | ||
| "Pasir" can also refer to granulated sugar, as in "pasir gula" (sugar sand). | |||
| Thai | ทราย | ||
| In Thai, "ทราย" (sand) can also refer to sugar crystals or the powder in certain cosmetics. | |||
| Vietnamese | cát | ||
| 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
| Azerbaijani | qum | ||
| "Qum" also means "sea" in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | құм | ||
| The Kazakh word "құм" also refers to a sandy area, especially a desert. | |||
| Kyrgyz | кум | ||
| The word "кум" can also refer to a sandy soil or a desert. | |||
| Tajik | рег | ||
| 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. | |||
| Turkmen | gum | ||
| Uzbek | qum | ||
| In Uzbek, "qum" has additional meanings such as "desert" or "arid land". | |||
| Uyghur | قۇم | ||
Sand in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | one | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word 'one' also means 'red earth' and is the namesake of an ancient chief named Ka-one. | |||
| Maori | one | ||
| The word "one" can also refer to a beach, a stretch of coastline, or the inhabitants of a beach community. | |||
| Samoan | oneone | ||
| 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
| Aymara | ch'alla | ||
| Guarani | yvyku'i | ||
Sand in International Languages
| Esperanto | sablo | ||
| 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". | |||
| Latin | harenae | ||
| In botany 'harenae' refers to coarse sand. | |||
Sand in Others Languages
| Greek | άμμος | ||
| The Greek word | |||
| Hmong | xuab 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. | |||
| Kurdish | qûm | ||
| The Kurdish word "qûm" also refers to a specific type of soil with a high sand content found in certain regions. | |||
| Turkish | kum | ||
| The Turkish word “kum” is also used to refer to the sediment found in the kidneys and bladder. | |||
| Xhosa | isanti | ||
| The word "isanti" in Xhosa can also refer to a very fine type of sand used for sanding or polishing. | |||
| Yiddish | זאַמד | ||
| The Yiddish word "זאַמד" can also refer to "fine dust" and is related to the German word "Sand". | |||
| Zulu | isihlabathi | ||
| "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" | |||
| Assamese | বালি | ||
| Aymara | ch'alla | ||
| Bhojpuri | बालू | ||
| Dhivehi | ވެލި | ||
| Dogri | रेत | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | buhangin | ||
| Guarani | yvyku'i | ||
| Ilocano | darat | ||
| Krio | sansan | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | خۆڵ | ||
| Maithili | बालू | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯩꯉꯣꯏ | ||
| Mizo | vut | ||
| Oromo | cirracha | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବାଲି | ||
| Quechua | aqu | ||
| Sanskrit | वालुका | ||
| Tatar | ком | ||
| Tigrinya | ሑጻ | ||
| Tsonga | sava | ||