The character 林 — “woods”: how to write it and what it means
woods, grove
The Chinese character 林 is read lín and means “woods, grove”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 林
林 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 林, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 林 is made of
Two 木 “trees” side by side — a grove. Three make 森, a dense forest.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 林
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 林?
林 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 林 mean?
林 means “woods, grove”. It appears in 森林 (“forest”), 树林 (“grove”), 园林 (“gardens and parks”).
How do you pronounce 林?
林 is read lín. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 林 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 林 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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