How to Write 邻 (lín) — Meaning “neighbor / adjacent”

Imagine your neighbor lives on a hill (阝) and always follows the rules (令) of the neighborhood. Picture a house on a hill with a sign that says "Keep Order" to link the two parts together.

Write the left radical 阝 first (horizontal fold then vertical line), then the right part 令: begin with the top "person" radical, then two dots, a horizontal stroke, and a vertical hook. A common mistake is confusing 令 with 今 — remember 令 has an extra dot above the horizontal line.

The right side differs: 干 (gān) in 邗, 于 (yú) in 邘, and 令 (lìng) in 邻. Both 邗 and 邘 are ancient place names rarely used in modern Chinese, while 邻 is a common HSK 5 word meaning "neighbor" or "adjacent."

邻 appears in everyday words like 邻居 (neighbor) and 邻近 (nearby). In Chinese culture, strong neighborhood ties are valued, so terms like 邻里 (neighborhood) are often used in community contexts, such as 邻里互助 (neighborhood mutual help).

Common words containing 邻 include: 邻居 (lín jū) — neighbor; 邻近 (lín jìn) — nearby / adjacent; 邻里 (lín lǐ) — neighborhood.