What does 林 mean in Chinese?

林 is a Chinese character with the radical 木.

How do you write 林?

林 is written with 8 strokes, starting from the 木 (tree) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 林?

The radical of 林 is 木 (tree, Kangxi radical #75). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 本, 来, 机, 果.

How many strokes does 林 have?

The Chinese character 林 has 8 strokes.

What HSK level is 林?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 林 is a character to recognise at HSK 4.

林: Chinese Character Details

林

HSK 4 character 8 strokes Radical: 木 (tree)

Quick Answer

林 is a Chinese character with 8 strokes, radical 木 (tree), HSK 4 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 林 →Animated stroke-order for 林 →

Etymology

Two trees together — a forest

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Decomposition

林=木radical+木radical

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Stroke count	8 strokes
Radical	木 (#75: tree)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 4
Frequency	#1133 most common

Example sentences

我们在森林里。
Wǒmen zài sēnlín lǐ.
We're in the forest.
From 森林 (HSK 4)
探险队在茂密的丛林中艰难前行。
Tànxiǎnduì zài màomì de cónglín zhōng jiānnán qiánxíng.
The expedition team advanced with difficulty through the dense jungle.
From 丛林 (HSK 7-9)

Words containing 林

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
森林	sēnlín	Forest	HSK 4
丛林	cónglín	jungle, thicket	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Don't confuse with

森

林 ≠ 森

树

林 ≠ 树 (shù), tree

Share the 木 (tree) radical

本běn 来lái 机jī 果样yàng 根gēn 村cūn 杯

See all characters with the 木 radical →

Similar meaning (nature)

气风wind 天day 根root 草grass 水water 山mountain 花flower

On the new HSK 4 exam

Studying for HSK 4? Keep 林 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

林