林 — “woods / grove” in Japanese

Grade 1りん, はやし

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

“woods / grove” in Japanese is 林, read rin, hayashi (りん, はやし). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 林道 (forest path).

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What does 林 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	林
Meaning	woods / grove
Readings	りん, はやし
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	林道 (forest path)

How to read 林

林 is read rin (りん) or hayashi (はやし) depending on the word.

Words with 林

雑木林ぞうきばやし
森林
竹林
林道
松林

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Kanji read the same way as 林

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28