How to say “key” in Chinese
key
“Key” in Chinese is 钥匙, yào shi: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
钥匙 is read yào shi: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 钅 “metal”; on the right, 月 yuè hints at the sound.
On the left, 是 shì hints at the sound. In 钥匙 it's read in the neutral tone, and in the sense “spoon” it's chí.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “钥匙”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 钥匙. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 钥匙掉到沙发底下了yàoshidiàodàoshāfādǐxialeThe keys fell under the sofa.
- 你怎么老是忘带钥匙nǐzěnmelǎoshìwàngdàiyàoshiWhy do you always forget your keys?
- 钥匙找着了吗？yàoshizhǎozháolemaDid you find the keys?
- 柜子锁着呢，钥匙在哪儿？guìzisuǒzhene,yàoshizàinǎrThe cabinet is locked — where's the key?
- 他在包里翻来翻去，也没找到钥匙。tāzàibāolifānláifānqù,yěméizhǎodàoyàoshiHe rummaged and rummaged in his bag but never found the keys.
- 原来钥匙在门背后yuánláiyàoshizàiménbèihòuSo the keys were behind the door!
More words from the lesson “Renting a place”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “key” in Chinese?
“Key” in Chinese is 钥匙, pinyin yàoshi.
What does 钥匙 mean?
钥匙 (yàoshi) means “key”.
How do you write 钥匙?
钥匙 is 2 characters: 钥 (yào) — key; 匙 (shi) — spoon; part of the word “key”. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 钥匙?
钥匙 is read yàoshi. Tones: yào — fourth tone, shi — neutral tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“key” in the lesson “Renting a place”
This word is from the topic “Home and neighborhood” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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