How to Write 林 (lín) — Meaning “forest; woods”

Think of the character as two trees standing together: one 木 on the left and another 木 on the right. The double tree image directly reminds you that 林 means forest.

Write the left 木 with a smaller horizontal stroke and keep the right 木 slightly taller to balance the character. A common mistake is making both trees the same size, which looks rigid. Remember the left tree’s last stroke changes from a dot to a short leftward stroke (丶 becomes /).

林 means forest and has two 木 trees. 朱 (zhū) means red or vermilion and contains a horizontal line through a single 木. 朴 (pǔ) means simple or unadorned and adds a dot on the right side of 木. Their meanings and visual shapes are distinct.

林 appears in common words like 森林 (sēn lín, large forest) and 树林 (shù lín, woods). It is also used in names for parks, such as 园林 (yuán lín, landscape garden), and can be a Chinese surname. Culturally, 林 often evokes nature and tranquility.

Common words containing 林 include: 森林 (sēn lín) — forest; 树林 (shù lín) — Woods; 园林 (yuán lín) — Gardens / Park / Landscape garden.