63. The "Door" Radical: 戸
The 戸 shape is the pictograph of a "door," but not the modern kind with a doorknob. Rather, it's half of a double-doored gate (門).
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
The Nuts and Bolts of the 戸 Radical
Just as the wooden gate above is straightforward, so is the 戸 radical. It consists of four strokes and has no variant shapes. Its only English name is the "door" radical.
When it comes to 戸, there's just one challenge—namely, not mixing it up with radical 44, 尸, the "corpse" radical.
In Japanese, the 戸 radical primarily goes by the name と. Because it tends to hang down on the left side of a kanji, as in 戻 (1920: to return), we can often call it とだれ, as well. And because 戸 usually appears at the top of a kanji, とかんむり can work, too. (For information about たれ, かんむり, and the names of other radical positions, see "Radical Positions" and "Radical Names" in Radical Terms.)
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
In part of a sign for a Tokyo sushi shop, 戸 appears in this word:
江戸前 (えどまえ: in front of Edo)
The term refers to the sea in front of Edo, which is to say Tokyo Bay. Thus, the fish served at this restaurant supposedly come from Tokyo Bay.
Joyo Kanji Featuring 戸 as the On-Duty Radical
The "door" radical is on duty in six Joyo kanji, including 戸 (108: door) itself. Clearly, 戸 means "door" in the 戸 kanji! But what about in the others? Let's look at them one by one.
所 (312: place)
The left side means "door" but serves a purely phonetic role here, Henshall argues. However, he mentions that some scholars interpret this kanji as "chopping" (斤) wood in a "doorway," and he sees a little merit to that argument.
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
Our radical appears at the bottom of the right-hand column in this restaurant sign. Here are the biggest words:
川奈 (かわな: place name)
台所 (だいどころ: kitchen)
ひだまり (日溜り: sunny spot)
We therefore know that the Tokyo restaurant Hidamari is a sunny spot in the world. For a little more about this sign, see JOKIA Album 63.
扇 (1492: fan)
The parts break down quite literally as "door" and "wings" (羽). People have associated the "wings of a door" with the "flapping action" of a "fan," says Henshall. By the way, 扇 primarily represents a handheld folding fan.
扉 (1730: door, hinged door; title page)
Kanjigen says that 扉 refers to a “pair of doors.” Moreover, says that source, the 非 in 扉 both contributes sound and indicates that the doors can open in two directions, just as swinging doors can.
房 (1809: chamber, room; bunch; tuft; tassel; cell)
According to Henshall's newer edition, the 戸 means "building," and the 方 phonetic means "side." Together these components produce “(small) side rooms in a building (of a communal nature).” Most definitions of this kanji are extended senses or loan usages.
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
In this cheerful sign at Rokko Farm in the Rokko Mountains (Hyogo Prefecture), our radical appears in the last kanji. The lower line of the sign presents the name of a pottery workshop: 陶遊房 (とうゆうぼう: pottery play house). The first line tells us that you can take a one-day (一日, いちにち) class (教室, きょうしつ) in the art of ceramics (陶芸, とうげい).
戻 (1920: to return)
Originally, this kanji had a different shape, combining a "door" and a "dog" (犬), but the 犬 has since been replaced by 大, says Henshall. In his newer edition he mentions several etymological theories about 戻, including the idea that a wild or rampaging dog was shut in by an entrance, producing the extended sense “act contrary to, go against.” Kanjigen similarly says that a violent dog was locked in a room or house (obviously with the door shut), refusing to listen to the owner. Thus, the character meant “not to obey,” later coming to represent “to rebel” and “to return.”
Photo Credit: Eve Kushner
The place name 瀬戸内海 (せとないかい: Seto Inland Sea) contains 戸.
Joyo Kanji in Which 戸 is a Mere Component
The 戸 shape is a mere component in these Joyo kanji:
編 (785: to compile)
啓 (1197: to enlighten)
肩 (1212: shoulder)
顧 (1235: to look back)
偏 (1782: one-sided, biased, inclined, partial; left-hand radical)
遍 (1783: everywhere)
涙 (1916: tears)
炉 (1934: furnace)
Photo Credit: Taisaku Nogi
Part of a much larger sign from Fukui Prefecture. In 井戸 (いど: water well) we find 戸.