林 (lín) is a Chinese character meaning “woods”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 木 (tree; wood), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “woods”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 木
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字·林部：林，平土有叢木曰林。从二木。构形经 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：8 笔，左右两个「木」各 4 笔
Memory aid
One tree (木) is just a tree. Stand a second tree (木) right beside it and you are no longer looking at a tree — you are standing in the woods.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 竹林zhú línbamboo grove; bamboo forest林 = lín
- 丛林cóng línjungle林 = lín
- 林荫道lín yīn dàotree-lined avenue; boulevard林 = lín
- 柏林bó línBerlin (capital of Germany)林 = lín
- 桂林Guì línGuilin (city in Guangxi)林 = lín
- 森林sēn línforest林 = lín
Go deeper
All readings
woods
woods; forest; grove; a gathered group of the same kind
成片生长在一起的树木；也比喻聚集在一起的同类人或事物。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 竹林zhú línbamboo grove; bamboo forest林 = lín
- 丛林cóng línjungle林 = lín
- 林荫道lín yīn dàotree-lined avenue; boulevard林 = lín
- 柏林bó línBerlin (capital of Germany)林 = lín
- 桂林Guì línGuilin (city in Guangxi)林 = lín
- 森林sēn línforest林 = lín
Origin
The Shuowen Jiezi explains 林 as flat ground where clustered trees grow, and analyses the character as being made of two 木 ("tree"). The modern form still shows exactly that: one tree next to another.
Source: 说文解字·林部：林，平土有叢木曰林。从二木
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 林 mean?
林 (lín) means woods; forest; grove; a gathered group of the same kind.
How do you pronounce 林?
It is pronounced lín.
What parts is 林 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 木 (tree; wood), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字·林部：林，平土有叢木曰林。从二木。构形经 hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 笔画核验：8 笔，左右两个「木」各 4 笔. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 林 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 林?
木. 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 林?
Common ones are 竹林 and 丛林. The reading of 林 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.