BeginChinese
every character tells a story
The ancient form
Today

· wu6

door; household

Where it comes from

While 门 draws a double gate with two leaves swinging wide, 户 draws just one — a single door panel hung from its post, with a wooden crossbar holding the boards together. The ancient dictionary Shuowen Jiezi put it simply: "半门曰户" — half a gate is a hù. Every home has its own 户, even if the palace needs two.

A piece of culture

One door, one household
A single door grew into the very idea of a household. For over two thousand years, the Chinese state has organized society door by door: the 户口 (hùkǒu) household registration system records where each family lives, for taxes, labor duties, and civic life. A modern version of 户口 is still in use today, and which city your 户口 is registered in can still shape access to local schools and hospitals — an old idea about doors that never stopped mattering.

Use it in a real word

门户
ménhù ·
gateway; doorway — also used for a school of thought or faction; you already know 门
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