Chinese character for forest: 林 (lín)
The Chinese character for forest is 林 (lín). It means woods or forest and appears in 森林 (sēnlín, forest) and 树林 (shùlín, woods). It is also a very common surname, Lin.
How 林 is built
林 is simply two trees 木 side by side, the clearest example of building a meaning by repeating a picture. Three trees together make 森 (sēn), dense forest, and the everyday word for a forest is 森林, combining both. When 木 is on the left of 林, its last stroke is shortened to a dot to make room. 林 is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
林 lín · forest
- 木mù — tree
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 八bā — eight
- 十 — ten
- 木mù — tree
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 八bā — eight
- 十 — ten
Origin hint: Two trees 木 representing a forest (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 林 is used
Other ways to say forest
- 森林 sēnlín — forest, the everyday word
- 森 sēn — dense forest, three trees
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 林 alone is often read as the surname Lin, so 森林 is clearer if you mean a forest.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for forest?
林 (lín) means “woods”.
How do you pronounce 林?
林 is pronounced lín.