户

contributes the sense of a single-leaf door · Character component

contributes the sense of a single-leaf door, and by extension doorways, households, and things that swing or shut

The old graph drew one leaf of a double door — a vertical panel with a pivot at the top that let it swing — so 户 is essentially half of 門. In the modern shape you can still read it that way: the short slanting stroke on top is the pivot end, and the boxy part below is the door panel, with the long downstroke as its hanging edge. That picture is still visible in 房 (a side room off a doorway), 扉 (a door leaf), 扇 (a fan that swings open like a door), 所, 扃 and 扂. In many simplified characters, though, 户 carries no door meaning at all and simply stands in for sound, as in 芦, 庐, 驴 and 沪.

户 at a glance

Meaning

contributes the sense of a single-leaf door

Strokes

4

Characters

28

Role

Usually contributes meaning

Characters with 户 (26 of 28)

Frequently asked questions