The word "枸杞" is formed by combining two characters, each constructed as phono-semantic compounds. "枸" consists of the semantic component "木" (tree) indicating its plant category, and the phonetic component "句" (jù) approximating its sound. "杞" similarly uses "木" as the semantic component and "己" (jǐ) as the phonetic component. Together, they create a disyllabic term specifically referring to the goji berry plant.