锁 (suǒ): to lock
锁 (suǒ) is a Chinese character meaning “to lock.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (semantic), ⺌ (phonetic) and 贝 (structural). It ranks #1548 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 锁 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
- to lock
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 锁 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 封锁verb | fēng suǒ | to blockade |
| 锁定verb | suǒ dìng | to lock (a door) |
| 门锁noun | mén suǒ | door lock |
| 锁门verb | suǒ mén | to lock the door |
| 连锁adjective | lián suǒ | to interlock |
| 连锁店noun | lián suǒ diàn | chain store |
| 锁链noun | suǒ liàn | chains |
| 锁骨noun | suǒ gǔ | collarbone |
| 枷锁noun | jiā suǒ | stocks and chain |
| 连锁反应noun | lián suǒ fǎn yìng | (physics) chain reaction |
| 锁匠noun | suǒ jiang | locksmith |
| 封锁线noun | fēng suǒ xiàn | blockade line |
| 拉锁noun | lā suǒ | zipper |
| 锁头noun | suǒ tou | a lock |
| 锁眼noun | suǒ yǎn | keyhole |
锁 appears in 58 compound words: 36 as the first character, 50 as the last, and 14 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 锁 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
Example Sentences
出门时请记得锁门，确保安全。
Chū mén shí qǐng jìde suǒ mén, quèbǎo ānquán.
Please remember to lock the door when going out to ensure safety.
...“花样”新年味 科技、运动、生态为游客解锁多元游园新体验
. . . huā yàng xīn nián wèi kē jì , yùn dòng , shēng tài wéi yóu kè jiě suǒ duō yuán yóu yuán xīn tǐ yàn
"Patterns" New Year's flavor Technology, sports, and ecology unlock a variety of new park experiences for tourists
油品、建案双引擎全开 北基下步锁定绿能
yóu pǐn , jiàn àn shuāng yǐn qíng quán kāi běi jī xià bù suǒ dìng lǜ néng
The dual engines of oil products and construction projects are fully open, and the next step of the North Base is to lock in green energy
茶香氤氲,温情暖暖~看阿婆爷叔如何解锁“行云流水”..
chá xiāng 氤 氲 , wēn qíng nuǎn nuǎn kàn ā pó yé shū rú hé jiě suǒ háng yún liú shuǐ . .
The tea is fragrant, warm and warm~ See how grandma and uncle unlock "flowing water":
新春跨境消费实现“丝滑”扫码,解锁人民币“走出去”..
xīn chūn kuà jìng xiāo fèi shí xiàn sī huá sǎo mǎ , xiè suǒ rén mín bì zǒu chū qù . .
Cross-border consumption during the Spring Festival achieved seamless QR code scanning, unlocking the path for renminbi to go global.
1935年出生的奶奶,解锁触屏
nián chū shēng de nǎi nǎi , xiè suǒ chù bīng
Grandma, born in 1935, unlocks the touchscreen.
吉姆将钥匙插入门锁。
Jí mǔ jiāng yàoshi chārù ménsuǒ.
Jim put the key into the lock.
是谁忘了把仓库的门锁上？
Shì shéi wàng le bǎ cāngkù de mén suǒshàng?
Who was it that forgot to lock the door of the warehouse?
你没有把你的车上锁吗？
Nǐ méiyǒu bǎ nǐ de chē shàng suǒ ma?
Didn't you lock up your car?
我开门的时候弄坏了锁。
Wǒ kāimén de shíhou nònghuài le suǒ.
I broke the lock opening the door.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 钅 (metal) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 锁 (suǒ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 锁 and 肖?
How many strokes does 锁 have?
What is the radical of 锁?
What are the components of 锁?
What are common words containing 锁?
What characters sound the same as 锁 (suǒ)?
Is 锁 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 锁 with real-time feedback
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