(lín) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

lín forest, grove; surname 8 strokes · Radical (tree) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 林 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced lín.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
林 — 8 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图(数字为下笔顺序)。

Decomposition

breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

=
left tree
right tree

Radical

The radical of is — meaning tree. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: .

How the character is built

is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Two trees 木 representing a forest.

HSK 4 Words Containing 林

sēnlín forest
这片森林里有很多野生动物。
Zhè piàn sēnlín lǐ yǒu hěn duō yěshēng dòngwù.
There are many wild animals in this forest.
shùlín grove; woods
我们在树林里散步。
Wǒmen zài shùlín lǐ sànbù.
We took a walk in the woods.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

appears in 19 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

正在找工作。
From Mock Exam 03 →
对环境有很好的保护作用。
From Mock Exam 04 →
有改变小范围气候的作用。
From Mock Exam 15 →

Tasks Featuring 林 / 相关任务

Words containing appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论自然情况
Nature & Geography · 森林、树林

FAQ

What does 林 mean in Chinese?

林 (lín) means forest, grove; surname. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 林 have?

林 is written in 8 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 林?

The radical of 林 is 木 (tree). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 标, 村, 术, 案, 棒.

What is the pinyin for 林?

林 is pronounced lín.

What HSK 4 words use 林?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 林 appears in 2 words, including 森林 (sēnlín), 树林 (shùlín). See the full list above.

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