纱
shā · HSK 7
cotton yarn
🧵 纟thread radical + 少 (gives the shā sound, as in 沙 sand) = fine cotton yarn
The 纟silk-thread radical marks it as a fabric word; the 少 component lends the shā reading, the same sound as 沙 (sand). Sounds like the start of shawl, a thin woven cloth like muslin.
纱 — silk radical 糹 + few 少
A semantic-phonetic compound. The silk radical 糹 indicates the meaning, referring to thread or fabric, while 少 (shǎo) suggests the sound. Originally denoted fine, thin silk gauze, and by extension came to mean yarn or gauzy fabric in general.