The word 围棋 is formed by combining the character 围, meaning 'to surround,' which is structured with the enclosure radical 囗 and the phonetic component 韦, with the character 棋, meaning 'board game,' structured with the wood radical 木 and the phonetic component 其. Together, they create a compound word that literally means 'surrounding board game,' directly referring to the game of Go where players encircle territory on a board.