藓 meaning and stroke order
Lichen, moss
How to write 藓, stroke by stroke
17 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 藓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- moss
- lichen
- moss on damp walls
- used erroneously for 蘇|苏
How 藓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 鲜 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 藓
藓 (xiǎn) is grass 艹 on top of 鲜 (xiān, fresh). Picture a fresh green carpet of tiny plants growing on a damp wall, and the 鲜 part also gives you the sound.
藓 rarely appears alone. It is almost always used in the word 苔藓 (táixiǎn), meaning moss, in science, nature writing, and descriptions of old or damp places. Example: 墙上长满了苔藓。(Qiáng shàng zhǎng mǎn le táixiǎn.) The wall is covered with moss.
Common mistake: Learners often read 藓 as xiān because its phonetic part 鲜 is usually first tone. In 藓 it is third tone, xiǎn, so say 苔藓 as táixiǎn.
Common words with 藓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 苔藓 | táixiǎn | moss |
藓 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 藓
How many strokes are in 藓?
藓 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 藓 mean?
藓 (xiǎn) means lichen, moss. A common word with it is 苔藓 (táixiǎn), meaning "moss".
How do you pronounce 藓?
藓 is pronounced xiǎn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 藓?
The radical of 藓 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 藓 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 藓?
The traditional form of 藓 is 蘚. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 藓 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 苔 and 藓?
Both relate to moss-like plants. 苔 (tái) can also mean things like tongue coating, while 藓 is mostly limited to moss. In everyday speech people just combine them as 苔藓.
Does 藓 appear in medical words like ringworm?
Yes, the related word 癣 (xuǎn) means ringworm or a skin fungus, and it looks similar but uses the illness radical 疒 instead of grass. Do not confuse 藓 (moss) with 癣 (skin condition).