areia
/aˈɾej.ɐ/feminine
The Portuguese word for sand is areia.
areia is a feminine noun referring to finely ground rock. You can use it in various expressions, such as castelo de areia for sandcastle or dunas de areia for sand dunes. If you wish to describe something as the color sand, it is more natural to use the phrase cor de areia.
Meaning: finely ground rock (noun)
Which one should you use?
While areia is the general term for sand, areão refers specifically to larger grained sand, which is often used in construction projects. When talking about the action of sanding, arear can mean to sand, but lixar is the much more common verb used when referring to the act of sanding a surface with sandpaper.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the noun areia is areias.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA is /aˈɾej.ɐ/.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, the expression jogar areia nos olhos literally means 'to throw sand in the eyes' but is used figuratively to mean deceiving someone or hiding the truth.
- The Portuguese word areia and the English word 'arena' both come from the same Latin root arēna, which referred to the sand used to soak up blood in Roman amphitheaters.
- The word areia is a doublet of arena. While areia refers to the geological substance, arena is used in Portuguese specifically for sports stadiums or a general atmosphere of competition.
Examples in context
- Não gosto de areia.I don't like sand.This sentence shows how to express a dislike for sand using areia.Tatoeba #2416119 by Matheus, translation #4347179 by AlanF_US
- A areia está quente.Sand is hot.This sentence is useful for describing the temperature of sand using areia.Tatoeba #2667841 by carlosalberto, translation #1035750 by riccioberto
- A areia estava quente.The sand was warm.This sentence shows how to describe sand in the past tense using areia.Tatoeba #5399788 by bill, translation #3305876 by Hybrid
- A praia possui uma bela faixa de areiaThe beach has a beautiful stretch of sand
- Vamos fazer um castelo de areinha na praia?Shall we build a small sandcastle at the beach?
- areia finaFine sand
- areia grossaCoarse sand
- 101 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Beatriz are cleaning up after a day at the beach.
- GabrielBeatriz, tem muita areia na sua bolsa.Beatriz, there is a lot of sand in your bag.
- BeatrizEu sei, o Gabriel também está cheio de areia.I know, Gabriel is also covered in sand.
- GabrielVou limpar a areia do meu carro primeiro.I will clean the sand from my car first.
- BeatrizBoa ideia, eu ajudo você.Good idea, I will help you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sand” translations and entries areia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries areia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
