苔 (tái) is a Chinese character meaning “moss”. It is written from 艹 (grass / plant radical) and 台 (platform; terrace (in 冶 and 苔 it carries the sound)), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “moss”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艹 + 台
Top–bottom structure
- 艹 grass / plant radical · cǎo meaning
- 台 platform; terrace (in 冶 and 苔 it carries the sound) · tái sound
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 5 笔台 = 8 笔）
Memory aid
Grass (艹) creeping over an old stone terrace (台): the thin green fur on damp stone is moss, 苔. Both parts really are in this character, and 台 tái hands you the sound tái unchanged.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 青苔qīng táigreen moss苔 = tái
- 苔藓tái xiǎnmoss; bryophyte苔 = tái
Go deeper
All readings
moss
moss; the low green growth on damp ground, stone or walls
苔藓；长在潮湿地面、石头或墙上的低矮绿色植物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 青苔qīng táigreen moss苔 = tái
- 苔藓tái xiǎnmoss; bryophyte苔 = tái
Rare readings, not taught: tāi
Sound component
台 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 苔 mean?
苔 (tái) means moss; the low green growth on damp ground, stone or walls.
How do you pronounce 苔?
It is pronounced tái.
What parts is 苔 made of?
艹 (grass / plant radical) and 台 (platform; terrace (in 冶 and 苔 it carries the sound)), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：3 笔艹 + 5 笔台 = 8 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 苔 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 苔?
艹. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 苔?
Common ones are 青苔 and 苔藓. The reading of 苔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.