門 / 门
mun⁴
The Cantonese word for door is 門 / 门 (mun⁴). Wiktionary also lists 戶 / 户 (wu⁶).
Meaning: portal of entry into a building, room or vehicle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 門 / 门 | mun⁴ |
| 戶 / 户 | wu⁶ |
The term 門 / 门 is used to describe a physical door or a gate. To refer to a doorway or the area in front of a door, Cantonese speakers often use the term 門口, which adds the word for mouth (口) to the end. Common phrases involving a door include 開門 for 'to open the door' and 閂門 for 'to close the door'.
Which one should you use?
門 / 门 refers to the physical object of a door or gate. In contrast, 戶 / 户 is often used in compound words to refer to a household or a door in a more abstract or administrative sense.
How do you pronounce it?
mun⁴
Did you know?
- The character 門 is a pictograph that originally depicted two swinging leaves of a double door. While modern Cantonese uses it for any door, the visual structure represents the ancient architecture of China.
- In traditional Cantonese culture, the orientation of the 門 is vital for 'Feng Shui'. Placing a door in the wrong direction is believed to block the flow of energy or luck into the home.
- The word 門 is central to the term 門派, which refers to a specific school or sect of martial arts or philosophy. In this context, it treats a style of fighting like a house with its own entrance.
Examples in context
- 開門Open the door
- 關門Close the door
- 推門Push the door
- 門口有人嗎？Is there someone at the door?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “door” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
