淋 (lín) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

淋

lín[lin2]Tone 2

to sprinkle, to drench

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to sprinkle, to drench

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical (氵) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (林) wider and balanced.

1. Meaning

to pour, to sprinkle, to drench with liquid

to get soaked by raindribbling or dripping in medical contexts

VerbNeutral#weather#water action#liquids

Sample Usage

我被雨淋湿了。
wǒ bèi yǔ lín shī le.
I got drenched by the rain.
把花淋点水。
bǎ huā lín diǎn shuǐ.
Sprinkle some water on the flowers.

2. Sound

/[lin³⁵]/Tone: 35

淋

línlin2

´(35)

=lín

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

lin

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Say it like:“Lin”ExactTone pitch cue:rising, like the end of a question

Key difference: —

Initial Consonant

Type: Alveolar Lateral

Sounds like: l sound as in 'love'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Air flows freely around both sides of tongue.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip touches the alveolar ridge just behind the upper front teeth.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -in rhymes with 'pin'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'een'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T2 (35)

3 → 5 (35)

2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and climbs sharply to high, matching an inquisitive rise in English speech.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with low dipping tone 3 lǐn or falling tone 4 lìn.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 2 rises like asking a question with surprise: 'Lynn?' going upward.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left water radical (氵) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (林) wider and balanced.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water or liquids)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (indicates liquid, rain, or water action)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 林 (original sound: lín)

Water (氵) splashing over a dense forest (林) creates a heavy downpour that drenches everything.

氵 water indicator
林 forest phonetic clue

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

10· Phonetic Root: 林 (lín)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the water sign (氵) to denote liquid and the forest character (林) providing the pronunciation lín.

Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting water flowing or dripping, it extended to mean pouring water over plants, getting soaked in rain, or drenching.

The forest component 林 also subtly evokes a thick canopy of trees catching and dripping rainwater.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: リン (rin) / Kun: sugu

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Water (氵) pours down heavily over the double trees of the forest (林), drenching every branch in sight.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

林

línwoods; grove; forest; circle of people; surname LinPhonetic Core (声旁)

禁

jīnto endure+ 示 (spirit)

婪

lánold variant of 婪[lan2]+ 女 (woman)

彬

bīnurbane; well-bred; cultivated+ 彡 (hair)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

林(lín)

林 is just trees; 淋 adds the water radical (氵) because rain drenches the trees.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我今天出门忘了带伞，被大雨[___]湿了。

Clue: lín

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone contour and pronouncing it flat or falling instead of the rising Tone 2.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 淋 mean when paired with 雨 in 淋雨?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to drench' with a water radical and forest component?

淋línto sprinkle, to drench

Speed:

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