The character 林 (lín): woods

A paved avenue runs through a Chinese park in autumn. Two tall ginkgos with pale grey trunks and golden yellow leaves stand at the left, a small red pavilion with an upswept roof sits behind them, and the sky is pale blue. On the paving at the right the character 林 rises in near black, very large: the tree block twice over, side by side, the left one ending in a short stub where the right one sweeps out in a long stroke.

Pronunciation: lín
Strokes: 8
Radical: 木
Made of: 木木

What it means

(bound form) woods; forest; (bound form) circle(s) (i.e. specific group of people); (bound form) a collection (of similar things)

Where its shape comes from

Two trees, and nothing else. Xu Shen defines the word as flat ground where trees grow close together, and analyses the graph as made of two 木. The same device produces 森 further along the course, which uses three of them: a repeated element stands for a large number. The 木 on the left narrows to leave room for its neighbour, and its final stroke shrinks to a dot. That is the rule for every 木 with something to its right.

Source: Xu Shen, Shuowen Jiezi (121 CE); the Chinese University of Hong Kong character database.

A way to remember it

One tree, then another beside it. The one on the left tightens up: its last stroke, which ought to sweep down to the right, becomes a dot set against the trunk. Put three of them together and you have written 森.

This is a memory aid, not the origin of the character.

Words it appears in

森林 sēn lín · HSK 4 forest; CL:片[pian4]
园林 yuán lín · HSK 6 gardens; park; landscape garden
吉林 jí lín see 吉林省[Ji2lin2 Sheng3]; see 吉林市[Ji2lin2 Shi4]
武林 wǔ lín martial arts (social) circles
桂林 guì lín see 桂林市[Gui4lin2 Shi4]
林业 lín yè forest industry; forestry

Writing it

See the stroke order of 林, animated stroke by stroke.