钥 (yào): key
钥 (yào) is a Chinese character meaning “key.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 钅 (semantic) and 月 (phonetic). It ranks #2397 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 钥 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
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 钥 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 钥
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一把钥匙开一把锁 | yī bǎ yào shi kāi yī bǎ suǒ | One key opens one lock. |
| 公钥noun | gōng yào | (cryptography) public key |
| 万能钥匙noun | wàn néng yào shi | master key |
| 金钥noun | jīn yào | the key (to solving a problem etc) |
| 权钥 | quán yào | keys of authority |
| 私人钥匙 | sī rén yào shi | private key (in encryption) |
| 密钥noun | mì yào | (cryptography) key |
| 私钥noun | sī yào | (cryptography) private key |
| 钥匙卡noun | yào shi kǎ | keycard |
| 配钥匙 | pèi yào shi | to make a key |
| 锁钥noun | suǒ yuè | key and lock |
| 钥匙链noun | yào shi liàn | keychain |
钥 appears in 13 compound words: 23 as the first character, 46 as the last, and 31 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 钥 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
钥刚石是自然界最坚硬的物质。
yuè gāng shí shì zì rán jiè zuì jiān yìng de wù zhì .
Diamond is the hardest substance in nature.
访问 教育优惠页面 ,输入个人姓名及教育邮箱提交申请,审核通过后即可获得激活密钥。
fǎng wèn jiào yù yōu huì xié miàn , shū rù gè rén xìng míng jí jiào yù yóu xiāng tí jiāo shēn qǐng , shěn hé tōng guò hòu jí kě huò dé jī huó mì yuè .
Visit the Educational Discounts page, enter your name and educational email address, and submit your application. Once your application is approved, you will receive an activation key.
这是一台可以挂在钥匙上的迷你数码相机,论解析力、清晰度,完全比不上智能手机。
zhè shì yī tái kě yǐ guà zài yuè chí shàng de mí nǐ shǔ mǎ xiāng jī , lùn jiě xī lì , qīng xī dù , wán quán bǐ bù shàng zhì néng shǒu jī .
This is a mini digital camera that can be attached to a keychain; in terms of resolution and clarity, it doesn't hold a candle to a smartphone.
本次突发情况不影响车辆正常驾驶,建议车主随身携带物理钥匙,保障正常出行。
běn cì tū fā qíng kuàng bù yǐng xiǎng chē liàng zhèng cháng jià shǐ , jiàn yì chē zhǔ suí shēn xié dài wù lǐ yuè chí , bǎo zhàng zhèng cháng chū háng .
This unexpected situation will not affect normal vehicle operation. We recommend that owners carry a physical key with them to ensure uninterrupted travel.
苏元和观点》力积电三把金钥来了 第三次奇迹会降临?
sū yuán hé guàn diǎn lì jī diàn sān bǎ jīn yuè lái le dì sān cì qí jì huì jiàng lín ?
"Su Yuanhe's Perspective": Lixing Electric's Three Golden Keys Have Arrived—Will a Third Miracle Happen?
人工智能 - 企业增长的关键钥匙
rén gōng zhì néng qǐ yè zēng cháng de guān jiàn yuè chí
Artificial Intelligence: The Key to Business Growth
你把钥匙给汤姆了吗?
Nǐ bǎ yàoshi gěi Tāngmu le ma?
Did you give Tom the key?
给我这座城堡的钥匙!
Gěi wǒ zhè zuò chéngbǎo de yàoshi!
Give me the key to this castle!
吉姆将钥匙插入门锁。
Jí mǔ jiāng yàoshi chārù ménsuǒ.
Jim put the key into the lock.
汤姆把钥匙拿出了口袋。
Tāngmǔ bǎ yàoshi náchū le kǒudài.
Tom took his keys out of his pocket.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 钅 (metal) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 钥 (yào) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 钥 and 有?
How many strokes does 钥 have?
What is the radical of 钥?
What are the components of 钥?
What are common words containing 钥?
What characters sound the same as 钥 (yào)?
Is 钥 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 钥 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.