门

Gate Radical (门)

mén · 3 strokes

The gate radical (门) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 18 characters related to gate and associated concepts. 18 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

Radical vs. Component: 门 is also a character component. As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For component-specific details including role analysis and position patterns, see the Gate Component (门) page.

Gate Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters18
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 7-9 (8 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes8
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Gate Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

间jiānroom, between

HSK 2 (1 characters)

门méndoor, gate

HSK 4 (2 characters)

闹nàonoisy阅yuèto read, to review

HSK 5 (2 characters)

闭bìto close闲xiánidle, free

HSK 6 (3 characters)

闪shǎnto flash, to dodge阔kuòwide, broad闯chuǎngto rush

HSK 7-9 (8 characters)

闸zhágate, brake阁gépavilion阀fávalve, clique阐chǎnto explain阎yánhell阂héobstruct闷mēnstuffy闺guīsmall arched door

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

闽Mǐnshort name for Fujian province 福建

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the gate radical mean in Chinese characters?
The gate radical (门) signals a semantic connection to gate-related concepts. When you see 门 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves gate or associated ideas. With 18 characters using this radical, it is one of the more productive radicals in Chinese. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the gate radical?
There are 18 characters with the gate radical (门) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental gate-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common gate radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the gate radical (门) are: 间 (jiān, "room, between"), 门 (mén, "door, gate"), 闪 (shǎn, "to flash, to dodge"), 闭 (bì, "to close"), 闹 (nào, "noisy"). These high-frequency characters are among the first gate-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include gate radical characters?
Characters with the gate radical (门) appear across 7 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 4, 2 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 8 in HSK 7-9, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 7-9 with 8 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common gate-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision.