门 (mén) · door, gate, entrance

Measure Word

一扇门 shàn

Meanings

1 door
2 gate
3 entrance
4 measure word for courses, subjects, languages and skills

Characters

门

mén

door; gate

Examples

HSK 3

请关门。

Qǐng guān mén.

Please close the door.

HSK 3

这个学期我有五门课。

Zhège xuéqī wǒ yǒu wǔ mén kè.

I have five courses this semester.

HSK 4

有人在敲门。

Yǒu rén zài qiāo mén.

Someone is knocking at the door.

Tips

history

The traditional character 門 is a pictograph of two swinging doors. The simplified 门 keeps the left half. It's also a common radical in characters related to openings and enclosures: 问, 间, 闻.

usage

门 is also a measure word for academic subjects: 一门课 (one course/subject).

Components

pictograph

门 mén

door; gate

Three-stroke 门 is its own Kangxi radical and not further decomposable. Simplified from 門, which depicted a pair of swinging double-doors with their vertical posts and curved tops - the modern simplified form keeps just one leaf with the post-and-top silhouette. Anchors the family of door-words: 问 (ask at a door), 闭 (shut), 间 (between).

Radical

Gate Kangxi #169

The gate radical. Traditional 門 is a pictograph of two swinging double doors; simplified 门 keeps a stylized single panel. Highly productive as an enclosure: phonetics drop into the doorway and most characters relate to opening, closing, gates, or what passes through them: 问 (ask), 间 (between), 闻 (hear), 闭 (close), 开 (open), 闯 (rush in), 闹 (noisy).