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.
砂粒が靴に入った。
A grain of sand got into my shoe.
砂浜の砂粒を指の間からこぼした。
I let the grains of sand from the beach slip through my fingers.
宇宙の広さに比べれば、地球は砂粒のような存在だ。
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 砂粒のような存在 (an existence like a grain of sand) conveys extreme smallness or insignificance.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 砂粒ほどの: as small as a grain of sand
- 砂粒のような: like a grain of sand
- 一つの砂粒: a single grain of sand
- 砂粒を数える: to count grains of sand (futile effort)