藓

蘚
xiǎn
noun #46,755

Meanings

  1. 1 moss
  2. 2 lichen

Examples

HSK 6
Táixiǎn róngyì zài yīnshī chù shēngzhǎng.
Moss grows readily in damp, shady places.
HSK 7-9
Gǔlǎo de shíjiē shàng zhǎng mǎn le táixiǎn.
The old stone steps were covered with a layer of moss.

Tips

usage
Most common in 苔藓 (moss). Botanically 苔 is liverwort and 藓 is true moss, but together they just mean moss in everyday speech.

Components

radical
艹 cǎo
grass; plant
Top 艹 is the grass radical 艸 in top form. It marks 藓 as a low plant - moss.
phonetic
鲜 xiān
fresh; (phonetic)
Below sits 鲜 supplying the sound (xiān shifting tone to xiǎn) and a faint flavor of fresh green growth. The same phonetic anchors 癣 (ringworm).

Stroke Order

藓 xiǎn