苔 meaning and stroke order
Moss, lichen
How to write 苔, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 苔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- moss; lichen; liverwort
- used in 舌苔[she2 tai1]
How 苔 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Plant.
艹 gives the meaning and 台 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 苔
The grass radical 艹 on top tells you this is a plant, and 台 (tái) below gives the sound. Picture a tiny green plant growing flat on a stone platform 台: that is moss.
苔 usually appears in compounds rather than alone, most often 苔藓 (táixiǎn, moss) and 青苔 (qīngtái, green moss). Example: 石头上长满了青苔。 (Shítou shang zhǎng mǎn le qīngtái.) The stones are covered with moss.
Common mistake: Learners often forget the 艹 on top and write only 台, which means platform or stage. Also, in 舌苔 (shétāi, tongue coating) the tone changes to first tone tāi, not tái.
Common words with 苔
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 苔藓 | táixiǎn | moss |
苔 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 苔
How many strokes are in 苔?
苔 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 苔 mean?
苔 (tái) means moss, lichen. A common word with it is 苔藓 (táixiǎn), meaning "moss".
How do you pronounce 苔?
苔 is pronounced tái, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 苔?
The radical of 苔 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 苔 under this radical.
What does 舌苔 mean and why is it pronounced differently?
舌苔 (shétāi) is the coating on the surface of the tongue, a term common in traditional Chinese medicine and doctor visits. In this word 苔 is read in the first tone, tāi, while in moss words it is second tone, tái.
Is there a difference between 苔 and 藓?
Both refer to small mosslike plants, and together they form the everyday word 苔藓 (táixiǎn). In casual speech people simply say 苔藓 or 青苔 for moss and rarely separate the two characters.