In Genesis, what was the Ark’s only opening besides its roof?

In Genesis, the Ark had a door in its side, in addition to its roof opening.

Genesis 6:16 tells Noah to make a door in the side of the ark and to finish it with a roof or opening near the top. English translations differ in how they render the roof-related phrase, but the side door is a clear feature of the construction instructions. Genesis later says that God shut Noah in, emphasizing the door’s role in the embarkation story.

The wording does not describe a stern gate, a bottom hatch, or a separate set of entrances. Nor does it say that the only opening was a roof window: the side door is explicitly named. Readers sometimes merge the later dove episode with the ark’s original design, but the opening used to release birds is not described in the same way as the main door. The safest canonical answer is therefore the location and type given in Genesis: a door in the side.