砂粒(すなつぶ)

すなつぶ
noun
grain of sand
geography
1. grain of sand
A single tiny particle of sand. Often used figuratively to express something extremely small or insignificant, or to evoke the vastness of a collection of tiny things.
砂粒(すなつぶ)が靴(くつ)に入(はい)った。
A grain of sand got into my shoe.
砂浜(すなはま)の砂粒(すなつぶ)を指(ゆび)の間(あいだ)からこぼした。
I let the grains of sand from the beach slip through my fingers.
宇宙(うちゅう)の広(ひろ)さに比(くら)べれば、地球(ちきゅう)は砂粒(すなつぶ)のような存在(そんざい)だ。
Compared to the vastness of the universe, Earth is like a grain of sand.

Usage

Used both literally and as a metaphor for something tiny or insignificant. The figurative expression 砂粒(すなつぶ)のような存在(そんざい) (an existence like a grain of sand) conveys extreme smallness or insignificance.

Common collocations

  • 砂粒(すなつぶ)ほどの: as small as a grain of sand
  • 砂粒(すなつぶ)のような: like a grain of sand
  • 一(ひと)つの砂粒(すなつぶ): a single grain of sand
  • 砂粒(すなつぶ)を数(かぞ)える: to count grains of sand (futile effort)
general
Added 2026.2.26 22:38 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
13500/13723_sunatsubu