Meaning of 森林
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- forest
Measure word: 片
How to use 森林
森林 is the standard word for a large, natural forest, used in news, nature topics and everyday talk. It often appears in phrases like 森林公园 (sēnlín gōngyuán, forest park) and 保护森林 (bǎohù sēnlín, protect forests). Example: 这片森林很大。(Zhè piàn sēnlín hěn dà.) This forest is very big.
森 (sēn) is three 木 (mù, tree) stacked together, and 林 (lín) is two trees side by side. Two trees make a grove, three trees make a dense crowd of trees, and together they make a forest.
Common mistake: Learners often use 森林 for any small group of trees, but a small wood or grove is usually 树林 (shùlín). Also remember both syllables are first and second tone, sēn then lín, not sěn or sén.
森林 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
森 sēn · forest · 12 strokes
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林 lín · forest · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 森林.
| 树林 | shùlín | woods; grove |
| 园林 | yuánlín | gardens; park; landscape garden |
| 丛林 | cónglín | jungle; thicket |
| 穆斯林 | mùsīlín | Muslim |
| 少林寺 | Shàolín Sì | Shaolin Temple, Buddhist monastery famous for its kung fu monks |
| 阿司匹林 | āsīpǐlín | (loanword) aspirin |
| 雨林 | yǔlín | rainforest |
| 福林 | fúlín | forint (Hungarian currency) (loanword) |
| 林子 | línzi | woods; grove |
| 武林 | wǔlín | martial arts (social) circles |
| 森严 | sēnyán | strict; rigid |
| 山林 | shānlín | wooded mountain; mountain forest |
Questions about 森林
What does 森林 mean?
森林 (sēnlín) means "forest" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 森林?
森林 is made of 2 characters: 森 (12 strokes), 林 (8 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 森林 an HSK word?
Yes. 森林 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What measure word goes with 森林?
The most common measure word is 片 (piàn), as in 一片森林 (yí piàn sēnlín), a stretch of forest. You may also see 座 (zuò) in some contexts, but 片 is the safest choice.
Does 森 appear in other common words?
Yes. 森 also suggests something dense or dark, as in 阴森 (yīnsēn, gloomy and eerie) and 森严 (sēnyán, strict, heavily guarded). On its own, 森 is rarely used as a standalone word in modern Chinese.