纱 (shā) is a Chinese character meaning “gauze”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 少 (few; little), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “gauze; yarn”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 少
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：7 画 = 纟 3 画 + 少 4 画；纟 为丝线义符，少 为声符（shǎo → shā，声母同为 sh-）
Memory aid
The silk radical 纟 on the left, and 少 "few, little" on the right: thread woven with very few crossings is gauze — you can see straight through it. (少 is here for its sound, shǎo → shā.)
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 纱布shā bùgauze; medical gauze纱 = shā
- 面纱miàn shāveil纱 = shā
- 纺纱fǎng shāto spin yarn纱 = shā
Go deeper
All readings
gauze; yarn
gauze; thin sheer fabric; yarn or spun thread
经纬稀疏、轻薄透明的织物；也指纺成的棉线、丝线。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 纱布shā bùgauze; medical gauze纱 = shā
- 面纱miàn shāveil纱 = shā
- 纺纱fǎng shāto spin yarn纱 = shā
Sound component
少 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 纱 mean?
纱 (shā) means gauze; thin sheer fabric; yarn or spun thread.
How do you pronounce 纱?
It is pronounced shā.
What parts is 纱 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 少 (few; little), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形以 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 核验：7 画 = 纟 3 画 + 少 4 画；纟 为丝线义符，少 为声符（shǎo → shā，声母同为 sh-）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 纱 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 纱?
纟. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 纱?
Common ones are 纱布 and 面纱. The reading of 纱 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.