What does 门 mean in Chinese?

门 (mén) means "door" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 2.

How do you write 门?

门 is written with 3 strokes, starting from the 门 (gate) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 门?

The radical of 门 is 门 (gate, Kangxi radical #169). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 问.

How many strokes does 门 have?

The Chinese character 门 has 3 strokes.

What HSK level is 门?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 门 is a character to recognise at HSK 2.

门 (mén): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

门

mén

door

HSK 2 character 3 strokes Radical: 门 (gate)

Quick Answer

门 (mén) means "door" with 3 strokes, radical 门 (gate), HSK 2 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 门 →Animated stroke-order for 门 →

Pronunciation

mén

Meaning

Primary: door

Etymology

Oracle-bone origin

门 is a clear pictograph of a double-leaf gate, with two vertical panels hanging from a horizontal lintel. Oracle bone and bronze forms show the two doors very explicitly, sometimes with visible pivots at the top. It depicted the gate of a house, courtyard, or city wall rather than a single interior door, for which 户 was used.

Form evolution

Oracle bone and bronze forms show two symmetrical door-panels side by side. In seal script the panels become more stylised and regular, and clerical script squares them off into the traditional 門. The simplified form 门 collapses the two panels into a single four-stroke frame, losing the visible symmetry but keeping the outline.

How the meaning evolved

The original meaning was a two-leaf outer gate. It extended naturally to any doorway or entrance, then to categories or fields of study (as in 部门 department, 门类 category), and to schools or sects in philosophy and martial arts (as in 佛门, 武门). The measure-word use for subjects of study, cannons, and certain skills grew out of the category sense.

Cultural note

门 is a Kangxi radical, and almost all characters containing it relate to doors, openings, or interior spaces, for example 问, 间, 闻, 闭, 开. In calligraphy the traditional 門 is a classic test of balance because the two halves must mirror each other precisely.

Mnemonic

Two panels of a doorway — gate, door

Basic info

Pinyin	mén
Meanings	door
Stroke count	3 strokes
Radical	门 (#169: gate)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 2
Frequency	#486 most common

Example sentences

请关门。
Qǐng guān mén.
Please close the door.
From 门 (HSK 2)
这是专门的。
Zhè shì zhuānmén de.
This is specialized.
From 专门 (HSK 4)
他在公司的销售部门工作。
Tā zài gōngsī de xiāoshòu bùmén gōngzuò.
He works in the company's sales department.
From 部门 (HSK 4)