键 (jiàn): key (on a piano or computer keyboard), button (on a mouse or other device), chemical bond
键 (jiàn) is a Chinese character meaning “key (on a piano or computer keyboard).” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (semantic) and 建 (phonetic). It ranks #1462 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 键 metal. Its radical form 钅 (metal) appears in many related characters such as 钱 (qián, money), 错 (cuò, wrong, mistake), 钟 (zhōng, clock, bell).
Definitions
- key (on a piano or computer keyboard)
- button (on a mouse or other device)
- chemical bond
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 键 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 键
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 关键词 | guān jiàn cí | keyword |
| 按键 | àn jiàn | button or key (on a device) |
| 琴键 | qín jiàn | a piano key |
| 关键字 | guān jiàn zì | keyword |
| 化学键 | huà xué jiàn | chemical bond |
| 快捷键 | kuài jié jiàn | (computer) shortcut key |
| 空格键 | kòng gé jiàn | space bar (keyboard) |
| 回车键 | huí chē jiàn | (computing) enter key |
| 共价键 | gòng jià jiàn | covalent bond (chemistry) |
| 离子键 | lí zǐ jiàn | ionic bond (chemistry) |
| 关键绩效指标 | guān jiàn jì xiào zhǐ biāo | key performance indicator (KPI) |
| 三键 | sān jiàn | triple bond (chemistry) |
| 金属键 | jīn shǔ jiàn | metallic bond |
| 上箭头键 | shàng jiàn tóu jiàn | up arrow key (on keyboard) |
| 下箭头键 | xià jiàn tóu jiàn | down arrow key (on keyboard) |
键 appears in 44 compound words: 23 as the first character, 66 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 键 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (2)
Example Sentences
这把键锁已经生锈了,打不开了。
zhè bǎ jiàn suǒ yǐ jīng shēng xiù le , dǎ bù kāi le .
This key lock has rusted shut and won't open.
...诡异抖动!命理师惊揭“是他显灵”要警告关键1事
. . . guǐ yì dǒu dòng ! mìng lǐ shī jīng jiē shì tā xiǎn líng yāo jǐng gào guān jiàn 1 shì
... Weird shaking! The numerologist revealed that "it was he who appeared" to warn about one key thing
...佳16.6%持股稳赢?律师揭中工夺权2关键:断通路商后路避泰山案
. . . jiā 1 6 . 6 chí gǔ wěn yíng ? lǜ shī jiē zhōng gōng duó quán 2 guān jiàn : duàn tōng lù shāng hòu lù bì tài shān àn
... Jia 16.6% holding a steady win? The lawyer revealed the key to the seizure of power by the workers: the case of cutting off the channel merchant's way to avoid Mount Tai
过完年后该不该跳槽?先问自己五个“关键问题”
guò wán nián hòu gāi bù gāi tiào cáo ? xiān wèn zì jǐ wǔ gè guān jiàn wèn tí
Should I change jobs after the New Year? Ask yourself five "key questions" first
...球 95% 人口感染的 EB 病毒取得关键突破,为移植患者带来新希望
. . . qiú 9 5 rén kǒu gǎn rǎn de E B bìng dú qǔ dé guān jiàn tū pò , wéi yí zhí huàn zhě dài lái xīn xī wàng
... A key breakthrough in the Epstein-Barr virus, infected by 95% of the population, brings new hope to transplant patients
脂肪肝不是胖人专利 三类高危族群与改善关键
zhī fáng gān bù shì pàng rén zhuān lì sān lèi gāo wēi zú qún yǔ gǎi shàn guān jiàn
Fatty liver is not the patent of fat people, three types of high-risk groups and the key to improvement
就像你们知道的那样,毅力是成功的关键。
Jiù xiàng nǐmen zhīdào de nàyàng, yìlì shì chénggōng de guānjiàn.
Perseverance, as you know, is the key to success.
关键不在穿什么,而是怎么穿。
Guānjiàn bù zài chuān shénme, érshì zěnme chuān.
It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it.
手指在键盘上快速的移动。
Shǒuzhǐ zài jiànpán shàng kuàisù de yídòng.
The fingers move fast on the keyboard.
元旦是一年的关键。
Yuándàn shì yī nián de guānjiàn.
New Year's Day is the key to the year.
Character Family
钅 Radical Family — Characters sharing the metal radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 键 (jiàn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 键 have?
What is the radical of 键?
What are the components of 键?
What are common words containing 键?
What characters sound the same as 键 (jiàn)?
Is 键 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 键 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.