ménkǒu: 门口 - Doorway, Entrance, Gate

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Summary: Discover the meaning of 门口 (ménkǒu), a fundamental Chinese word for “doorway,” “entrance,” or “gate.” This page breaks down the characters 门 (door) and 口 (opening), explains its cultural significance as the threshold between public and private life, and provides over 10 practical example sentences. Learn how to use 门口 (ménkǒu) correctly to arrange meeting spots, give directions, and describe everyday situations in modern China, and understand the key difference between 门口 (ménkǒu) and 门 (mén).

Pinyin (with tone marks): ménkǒu

Part of Speech: Noun

HSK Level: HSK 1

Concise Definition: The physical opening or entryway of a building, room, or enclosed area.

In a Nutshell: 门口 (ménkǒu) is one of the first words you'll learn in Chinese, and for good reason. It refers to the space right at the entrance of any place—a house, a shop, a park, a school. Think of it not just as the door itself, but the entire threshold area where you step in and out. It’s the default word for “entrance” in everyday, casual conversation.

门 (mén): This character is a pictograph of a traditional Chinese double-leaf door. It represents the physical “door” or “gate” itself.

口 (kǒu): This character means “mouth,” “opening,” or “orifice.” It’s one of the simplest and most common characters.

When combined, 门口 (ménkǒu) literally means “door opening.” This perfectly captures the concept of a doorway or an entrance—it's not just the door panel (门), but the opening (口) you pass through.

In Chinese culture, the 门口 (ménkǒu) is more than just a physical entryway; it is a significant threshold between the private, internal world of the family (内, nèi) and the public, external world (外, wài). It's a space of transition where important social rituals take place.

For example, hosts will often escort their guests all the way to the 门口 to say a final, formal goodbye. During Chinese New Year, homes are adorned with red paper couplets (春联, chūnlián) pasted on both sides of the 门口 to bring good fortune. Some traditional homes even had Door Gods (门神, ménshén) painted or displayed at the entrance to ward off evil spirits.

Comparison to Western Culture: While in English we might say “I'll meet you at the door,” the use of 门口 (ménkǒu) is much more frequent and serves as a common location marker. An English speaker might say, “I'm outside the restaurant.” A Chinese speaker would more naturally say, “I'm at the restaurant's entrance” (我在饭店门口, Wǒ zài fàndiàn ménkǒu). It pinpoints a more specific, mutually understood location for meeting and waiting.

As a Meeting Point: 门口 is the most common way to designate a meeting spot. If you're meeting a friend at a library, cinema, or cafe, you'll almost always agree to meet at the 门口.

Giving Directions: It's frequently used to describe the location of something relative to an entrance. For example, “The ATM is right at the bank's entrance.”

Everyday Actions: It describes the area right outside your front door. You might be asked to put the trash at the 门口 for collection or to pick up a delivery (外卖, wàimài) from the 门口.

Connotation: The term is neutral and highly functional. It's used in all registers of speech, from casual conversation with friends to more formal instructions.

门 (mén) - The physical door panel. The core component of 门口.

大门 (dà mén) - The main entrance or main gate of a larger compound, like a university or a park. It implies a grander scale than 门口.

入口 (rùkǒu) - Entrance. Often a more formal or technical term used for venues, highways, and on signage.

出口 (chūkǒu) - Exit. The direct antonym of 入口.

家门口 (jiā ménkǒu) - “At one's doorstep.” Used figuratively to mean something is very close to home or happening in one's own community (e.g., “a new park opened right on our doorstep”).

后门 (hòumén) - The back door. Can also be used figuratively to mean “backdoor connections” or using improper channels to get something done.

开门 (kāi mén) - To open the door. A verb phrase.

关门 (guān mén) - To close the door. A verb phrase.

门票 (ménpiào) - Entrance ticket (literally “door ticket”). Required to get past the 门口 of a tourist site or event.