Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 で 靴くつ を 脱ぬ ぐ to take off one's shoes at (the entrance)
Please take off your shoes at the entrance.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 立た つ to stand at (the entrance)
The delivery person was standing at the front door.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 を 出で る to leave through (the entrance)
I hurried out the front door and got in the car.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 のドアを 開あ ける to open the entrance door
When I opened the front door, the cat came out.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 鍵かぎ をかける to lock (the entrance)
I locked the front door before going out.
Kanji 玄 mysterious, occultness, black 関 connection, barrier, gateway 關 connection, barrier, gateway Related words 入口 is a general word for any entrance or entry point, while 玄関 specifically refers to the traditional front entrance area of a Japanese house or building where shoes are removed.
エントランス is a modern loanword used for the entrance of apartment buildings, offices, or hotels, whereas 玄関 evokes the traditional Japanese-style entryway with a shoe-removal area.
玄関 is the formal front entryway of a house or building, while 出入り口 is a broader term covering any access opening, not just a home's front door.
Don't confuse with· 5 勝手口 is the back or side door (often near the kitchen) used for everyday coming and going, while 玄関 is the formal front entrance used by guests.
玄関 is the entrance hall or doorway of a house or building itself, while 正門 is the main gate at the outer boundary of a larger property or campus.
玄関 is the entrance hall or foyer area of a house, while 戸口 is the door or doorway itself, not the room behind it.
Show 2 more Show fewer 玄関 is the entrance hall as a whole (often including a raised floor), while 土間 refers specifically to the unpaved earthen-floor part of that or a similar space.
玄関 is the entrance or foyer of a house itself, whereas 門 is the outer gate at the edge of the property.
Word family· 9 front door; main entrance; vestibule
side entrance; private entrance
entrance area; front door area
entrance door; front door · gateway (to a region, etc.)
doorkeeper; doorman; porter
Show 4 more Show fewer Written forms 玄げん 関かん Usage 99%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
げんかん Usage 1%
玄げん 關かん Usage <1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only kyūjitai form; not used in modern writing.
ゲンカン Usage <1%
Etymology From Middle Chinese 玄關 (entrance to a Buddhist temple or a place of deep understanding). In Japanese, it came to refer to the entrance of a Zen temple and later to the entrance hall of a residence.
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