The story
From Japanese 玄関(げんかん) (genkan), from Middle Chinese 玄關 (MC hwen kwaen, literally “front door”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
genkan
Today it means: The entryway to a Japanese house, where street shoes are removed and houseshoes put on before entering the house, and houseshoes removed and street shoes put on before leaving the house. Full definition →