also: おおもん
large front gate; main gate
Refers to a grand or imposing entrance gate, often of a temple, castle, or large estate.
寺の大門をくぐると、広い境内が広がっていた。
Passing through the temple's large gate, the spacious precincts spread out before us.
The visitors passed through the main gate into the temple grounds.
The main gate of that mansion is always closed.
朝六時に大門が開く。
The main gate opens at six in the morning.
Todai-ji's main gate is quite impressive.
門 is the plain, general word for any gate, whereas 大門 specifically points to a large, impressive one.
表門 refers to the front-facing gate of a residence, while 大門 stresses grandeur rather than orientation.
裏門 is the small back gate, in contrast to the grand front 大門.
main southern gate
Standard kanji spelling; the reading おおもん is more common in modern Japanese.
Alternate reading, often used in proper nouns or historical contexts.
Compound of 大 (large) and 門 (gate). The reading おおもん uses the native Japanese reading for 大, while だいもん uses the Sino-Japanese reading.