钥 (yào) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order
Pronunciation & meaning
Pronounced .
- lock
- key
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
Decomposition
钥 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.
Radical
The radical of 钥 is 钅 — meaning gold. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.
Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 钢键镜针.
How the character is built
钥 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 钅 (metal) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 月 originally indicated the sound.
HSK 4 Words Containing 钥
Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句
钥 appears in 20 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:
Tasks Featuring 钥 / 相关任务
Words containing 钥 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:
FAQ
What does 钥 mean in Chinese?
钥 (yào) means lock, key. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).
How many strokes does 钥 have?
钥 is written in 9 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 钥?
The radical of 钥 is 钅 (gold). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 钢, 键, 镜, 针.
What is the pinyin for 钥?
钥 is pronounced yào.
What HSK 4 words use 钥?
In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 钥 appears in 1 word, including 钥匙 (yàoshi). See the full list above.