门 (mén) — door / gate

门 (mén)

A noun meaning door or gate. The character itself is iconic: it looks like two door panels side by side. 门 can refer to a small indoor door or a large gate. It also appears as a radical in many characters.

Meanings

1. [noun] Door, gate, entrance.
2. [measure word] Used for courses, subjects, and types of skills (e.g., 一门语言, one language).

Example Sentences

请关门。 Qǐng guān mén. Please close the door.

门是开着的，进来吧。 Mén shì kāi zhe de, jìn lái ba. The door is open, come on in.

她站在门口等我。 Tā zhàn zài ménkǒu děng wǒ. She stood at the doorway waiting for me.

他敲了敲门，没有人回答。 Tā qiāo le qiāo mén, méiyǒu rén huídá. He knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Collocations

Memory Hook

The character 门 looks exactly like two door panels. It is one of the most pictographic characters in Chinese, and its shape has barely changed in thousands of years.