The aim of the invention is to design a door lock or flap lock which can be easily and reliably opened with little effort. Said aim is achieved by a door lock or flap lock comprising a locking mechanism that consists of a rotary latch and at least one pawl for locking the rotary latch, the design of the rotary latch and the pawl being such that the rotary latch can initiate a torque in the pawl, in particular an opening moment. The torque is dependent on the detent position of the pawl.