The word 苔藓 is formed by combining the characters 苔 and 藓, both featuring the grass radical (艹) to denote plant-related meanings. 苔 incorporates 台, which provides phonetic guidance and semantic association with surfaces where moss grows, while 藓 uses 鲜, primarily for phonetic correspondence but also reinforcing the plant category. Their union creates a compound term specifically referring to mosses and lichens.