鄰
neighbor, neighborhood
Strokes16
Readings
On'yomi
- リン
Kun'yomi
- とな.る
- となり
Meaning
鄰 centers on the idea of being next to or near someone: a neighbor or the surrounding neighborhood.
Study
Etymology
鄰 combines 粦 (a phonetic component carrying the sound) with ⻏ (a form of 邑, meaning village or settlement), suggesting a neighboring settlement or person. The exact historical development of 粦 is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 粦 looks like a cluster of people (舛 and 米 suggesting shared resources), and the right side ⻏ is a village. Picture a nearby village where people share rice with their neighbors.
Reading mnemonic
For リン, imagine a neighbor named Lynn who always shares rice from the village: Lynn -> リン.