林
はやし
hepburn hayashi
grove, small forest
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 林の中で鳥が鳴いています。Birds are singing in the grove.
- 林さんは私の先生です。Ms. Hayashi is my teacher.
Collocations
林 (hayashi, grove / small forest)林業 (ringyou, forestry industry)竹林 (chikurin, bamboo grove)密林 (mitsurin, jungle / dense forest)林立 (rinritsu, "standing like trees" — many buildings)
Mnemonic
林 hayashi — two 木 (trees) = "small forest / grove". Also a common Japanese surname (林さん Hayashi-san). Onyomi りん (rin): 林業 (forestry), 竹林 (bamboo grove — a frequent film/literature motif), 密林 (dense jungle). Figurative 林立 (rinritsu) = "standing like a forest" — used for skyscrapers crowding the skyline. The kanji bridges landscape, industry, and urban metaphor. A poetic word that surfaces in names and ukiyo-e topics often.
Quick check
Modern usage of the idiom 林立?