門（もん、mon）
- gate

The Japanese word 門 もん primarily means "gate," "door," or "entrance." It refers to an opening in a wall, fence, or building, used for entry and exit. It can also signify a "school" or "family."

⚫︎ 正門 Translation: Main gate ⚫︎ 校門 Translation: School gate ⚫︎ 専門 Translation: Special field/major (literally, specialized 門)

⚫︎ Use 門 when talking about physical gates or doors. ⚫︎ It's also used metaphorically to refer to the entrance to a place, an institution, or a field of study. ⚫︎ Commonly found in compound words to specify where something is or what it's associated with.

⚫︎ Kanji: 門 ⚫︎ Hiragana: もん ⚫︎ The kanji is the standard way to write this word.

⚫︎ 戸（と） - door (general term) ⚫︎ 入口（いりぐち） - entrance ⚫︎ ゲート - gate (loanword)

⚫︎ 出口（でぐち） - exit

学校の門は朝8時に開きます。 ・Translation: The school gate opens at 8 a.m. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 門 to refer to the physical gate of a school.

彼女は専門学校に通っています。 ・Translation: She is attending a vocational school. ・Explanation: The word 専門 (specialized field) contains 門, which is used here metaphorically to describe a specific area of study.

The kanji 門 is a pictograph. It represents a gate or doorway. The shape shows the structure of a double-leafed gate.