邻 (lín) is a Chinese character meaning “neighbour”. It is written from 令 (to order; a command) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “neighbour”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
令 + 阝
Left–right structure
- 令 to order; a command · lìng sound
- 阝 left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑) · fù meaning
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：5 笔「令」+ 2 笔右耳旁「阝」= 7 笔；右耳旁为「邑」，与城邑、聚居有关）
Memory aid
On the right, 阝 is the city-side ear — a settlement where people live. On the left stands 令, which carries the sound. The household in the settlement right beside yours is your neighbour.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 邻近lín jìnnearby; adjacent to邻 = línHSK 5
- 邻里lín lǐneighbourhood; the neighbours邻 = línHSK 6
- 邻居lín jūneighbour邻 = línHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
neighbour
neighbour; neighbouring; next to; adjacent
住处相接的人家；也指位置相接、靠近。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 邻近lín jìnnearby; adjacent to邻 = línHSK 5
- 邻里lín lǐneighbourhood; the neighbours邻 = línHSK 6
- 邻居lín jūneighbour邻 = línHSK 3
Sound component
令 family rime near
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 邻 mean?
邻 (lín) means neighbour; neighbouring; next to; adjacent.
How do you pronounce 邻?
It is pronounced lín.
What parts is 邻 made of?
令 (to order; a command) and 阝 (left form: mound (阜); right form: city or settlement (邑)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：5 笔「令」+ 2 笔右耳旁「阝」= 7 笔；右耳旁为「邑」，与城邑、聚居有关）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 邻 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 邻?
邑. 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 邻?
Common ones are 邻近 and 邻里. The reading of 邻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.