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门

门 (mén) Chinese Character: door, gate

3 strokes · HSK 1 · Radical 门

The three strokes outline an open doorway.

Practice 门 in the interactive lesson

Chinese character story: A Doorway You Can Enter

门 (mén) means “door” or “gate.” Its shape outlines a doorway with open space below, ready for someone to enter. It also appears as a component in characters connected with enclosed spaces or entering.

🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes

Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.

开门
开open门door=open the door
门口
门door口opening=doorway or entrance

Chinese character origin and etymology

门 is the simplified form of 門, originally a picture of a double-leaf gate.

Three strokes outline the top and sides of a doorway. 门 works as one complete form rather than a puzzle made from smaller modern components. Learning its overall silhouette is useful because the same shape may later appear inside more complex characters.

Chinese character stroke order and structure

门 is written with 3 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.

  • 门 — door, gate — a basic form used as one complete character

Common usage and sentence patterns

The examples below show 门 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.

请开门。 Qǐng kāi mén. Please open the door.
学校八点开门。 Xuéxiào bā diǎn kāi mén. The school opens at eight o’clock.
他在门外。 Tā zài mén wài. He is outside the door.

Learning tips for 门

Learn the reading as one unit: mén, with the second tone: rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “door, gate,” and write the 3 strokes from memory.

Because 门 is a basic form, focus on its proportions and stroke direction. Compare it with 开 (kāi, open, start); 关 (guān, close, turn off). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.

Quick review checklist

  • Can you recognize 门 without pinyin?
  • Can you say mén with the correct tone and explain “door, gate”?
  • Can you write all 3 strokes in order?
  • Can you use 门 in one short sentence?

Related characters

Continue learning Chinese characters

Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.

Sources and editorial note

HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.

Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.