键 jiàn — (door lock) key
打字的时候，手指要轻轻地敲键盘。Dǎ zì de shí hou, shǒu zhǐ yào qīng qīng de qiāo jiàn pán.When typing, gently tap the keyboard with your fingers.
Common words: 关键 (guān jiàn)、键盘 (jiàn pán)、按键 (àn jiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "key"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "key", including 键 (jiàn), 钥 (yào / yuè), 钥 (yào / yuè). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "key" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 键 (jiàn), 钥 (yào / yuè), 钥 (yào / yuè) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiàn, yào, yuè — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 键 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 键 jiàn(door lock) keyUseful words: 关键, 键盘
- 钥 yào / yuèkey; keyUseful words: 钥匙, 公钥
- 钥 yào / yuèkey; keyUseful words: 钥匙, 公钥
Common words for these 3 "key" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 键 (jiàn) — so "key" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
关键guān jiàncrucial point; crux; key; crucial键盘jiàn pánkeyboard按键àn jiànbutton or key (on a device); keystroke; to press a button钥匙yào shikey公钥gōng yào(cryptography) public key金钥jīn yàothe key (to solving a problem etc); (Tw) (cryptography) key钥匙yào shikey公钥gōng yào(cryptography) public key金钥jīn yàothe key (to solving a problem etc); (Tw) (cryptography) key
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "key".
钥 yào / yuè — key; key
出门前，他检查了一下有没有带钥匙。Chū mén qián, tā jiǎn chá le yí xià yǒu méi yǒu dài yào shi.Before leaving, he checked whether he had brought his keys.
Common words: 钥匙 (yào shi)、公钥 (gōng yào)、金钥 (jīn yào)
钥 yào / yuè — key; key
出门前，他检查了一下有没有带钥匙。Chū mén qián, tā jiǎn chá le yí xià yǒu méi yǒu dài yào shi.Before leaving, he checked whether he had brought his keys.
Common words: 钥匙 (yào shi)、公钥 (gōng yào)、金钥 (jīn yào)
All 3 characters
Open 键、钥、钥 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.