键 (jiàn) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order
Pronunciation & meaning
Pronounced .
- lock
- door bolt
- key
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
Decomposition
键 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.
Radical
The radical of 键 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: 钢镜钥针.
How the character is built
键 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 钅 (metal) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 建 originally indicated the sound.
HSK 4 Words Containing 键
Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句
键 appears in 14 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:
FAQ
What does 键 mean in Chinese?
键 (jiàn) means lock, door bolt; key. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).
How many strokes does 键 have?
键 is written in 13 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 键?
The radical of 键 is 钅 (gold). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 钢, 镜, 钥, 针.
What is the pinyin for 键?
键 is pronounced jiàn.
What HSK 4 words use 键?
In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 键 appears in 1 word, including 关键 (guānjiàn). See the full list above.