| 沙子 | shā zi | sand / grit / CL:粒[li4],把[ba3] |   |
| 磨砂 | mó shā | to scrub with an abrasive / to sand / frosted (e.g. glass) | |
| 砂子 | shā zi | sand | |
| 沙 |  shā | granule / hoarse / raspy / sand / powder / CL:粒[li4] / abbr. for Tsar or Tsarist Russia | |
| 砂 | shā | sand / gravel / granule / variant of 沙[sha1] | |
| 粉土 | fěn tǔ | dust / sand | |
| 风沙 | fēng shā | sand blown by wind / sandstorm | |
| 沙尘 | shā chén | airborne sand and dust | |
| 沙尘暴 | shā chén bào | sand and dust storm | |
| 沙地 | shā dì | sandy beach or river bank / sand dune / sandy land | |
| 沙丘 | shā qiū | sand dune / sandy hill | |
| 砂石 | shā shí | sandstone / sand and stone / aggregate | |
| 沙石 | shā shí | sand and stones | |
| 沙漏 | shā lòu | hourglass / sand filter | |
| 沙盘 | shā pán | sand table (military) / 3D terrain (or site) model (for real estate marketing, geography class etc) / sand tray (on which to write characters) | |
| 沙粒 | shā lì | grain of sand | |
| 细沙 | xì shā | fine sand | |
| 沙砾 | shā lì | grains of sand | |
| 掩耳盗铃 | yǎn ěr dào líng | lit. to cover one's ears whilst stealing a bell / to deceive oneself / to bury one's head in the sand (idiom) | |
| 沙坑 | shā kēng | sandbox / jumping pit (athletics) / sand trap, bunker (golf) | |
| 泥沙俱下 | ní shā jù xià | mud and sand flow together (idiom) / good and bad mingle | |
| 散沙 | sǎn shā | scattered sand / fig. lacking in cohesion or organization | |
| 聚沙成塔 | jù shā chéng tǎ | sand grains accumulate to make a tower a tower (idiom) / by gathering small amounts one gets a huge quantity / many a mickle makes a muckle | |
| 恒河沙数 | Héng hé shā shù | countless as the grains of sand in the Ganges (idiom) | |
| 油砂 | yóu shā | oil sand (mining) | |
| 鲫 | jì | bastard carp / sand perch | |
| 一盘散沙 | yī pán sǎn shā | lit. like a sheet of loose sand / fig. unable to cooperate (idiom) | |
| 漏脯充饥 | lòu fǔ chōng jī | to bury one's head in the sand (idiom) | |
| 画荻教子 | huà dí jiào zǐ | to write on the sand with reeds while teaching one's son (idiom) / mother's admirable dedication to her children's education | |
| 含沙量 | hán shā liàng | sand content / quantity of sediment (carried by a river) | |
| 鸵鸟政策 | tuó niǎo zhèng cè | ostrich policy (sticking one's head in the sand, failing to acknowledge danger) | |
| 闭目塞听 | bì mù sè tīng | to shut one's eyes and stop one's ears / out of touch with reality / to bury one's head in the sand | |
| 封沙育林 | fēng shā yù lín | to plant trees in order to stabilize sand (idiom) | |
| 采砂场 | cǎi shā chǎng | sandpit / sand quarry | |
| 沙坑杆 | shā kēng gān | sand wedge (golf) | |
| 沙坝 | shā bà | a sandbank / a sand bar | |
| 沙画 | shā huà | sand picture | |
| 流动性大沙漠 | liú dòng xìng dà shā mò | shifting sand dunes | |
| 海砂 | hǎi shā | sea sand (sand of the ocean floor or seashore) | |
| 海砂屋 | hǎi shā wū | house built with cheap, unreliable concrete which contains a high quantity of sea sand | |
| 滤砂 | lu:4 shā | filter sand | |
| 焗 | jú | (dialect) to cook in salt or sand, inside a sealed pot / to steam / to bake | |
| 玻璃砂 | bō li shā | siliceous sand (geology) | |
| 硅沙 | guī shā | silicon sand | |
| 输沙量 | shū shā liàng | quantity of sand (transported by a river) / sediment content | |
| 锆英砂 | gào yīng shā | zircon sand (zirconium ore) | |
| 防风固沙 | fáng fēng gù shā | sand break (in desert environment) | |
| 铁嘴沙鸻 | tiě zuǐ shā héng | (bird species of China) greater sand plover (Charadrius leschenaultii) | |
| 白蛉 | bái líng | sand fly | |
| 出砂 | chū shā | produced sand | |
| 沙盘推演 | shā pán tuī yǎn | to plan a military mission on a sand table (idiom) / to rehearse a planned action or activity / to conduct a dry run | |
| 崖沙燕 | yá shā yàn | (bird species of China) sand martin (Riparia riparia) | |
| 蒙古沙鸻 | měng gǔ shā héng | (bird species of China) lesser sand plover (Charadrius mongolus) | |
| 虾线 | xiā xiàn | digestive tract of a shrimp / sand vein | |
| 浮尘 | fú chén | dust (floating in the air or settled on a surface) / large amount of airborne sand and dust, such as during a sandstorm | |
| 折戟沉沙 | zhé jǐ chén shā | lit. broken halberds embedded in the sand (idiom) / fig. reminder of a fierce battle / remnants of a disastrous defeat | |
