Chinese symbol for “key”
钥匙
yào shi
Traditional: 鑰匙
key; measure word: 把 (bǎ)
The closest CC-CEDICT match for key is 钥匙 (yào shi), defined as: key; measure word: 把 (bǎ).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “key”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 键 (鍵) | jiàn | key (on a piano or computer keyboard); button (on a mouse or other device) |
| 钥 (鑰) | yuè | key; also pr. [yao4] |
| 密钥 (密鑰) | mì yào | (cryptography) key |
| 重点 (重點) | zhòng diǎn | important point; main point; focus; key (project etc) |
| 关键 (關鍵) | guān jiàn | crucial point; crux |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 钥匙.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 密钥 (密鑰) | mì yào | (cryptography) key |
| 私钥 (私鑰) | sī yào | (cryptography) private key |
| 万能钥匙 (萬能鑰匙) | wàn néng yào shi | master key; skeleton key |
| 公钥 (公鑰) | gōng yào | (cryptography) public key |
| 锁钥 (鎖鑰) | suǒ yuè | key and lock; (fig.) strategic place |
| 汤匙 (湯匙) | tāng chí | soup spoon; tablespoon |
| 茶匙 | chá chí | teaspoon |
| 锁匙 (鎖匙) | suǒ chí | (dialect) key; Taiwan pr. [suo3 shi5] |
See also: Japanese symbol for “key”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.