鍵

See also: 键

Translingual

Han character

鍵 (Kangxi radical 167, 金+9, 17 strokes, cangjie input 金弓大手 (CNKQ), four-corner 8514₀, composition ⿰釒建)

Derived characters

• 𧃑

Descendants

• 键 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1315, character 14
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 40654
• Dae Jaweon: page 1815, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 4225, character 7
• Unihan data for U+9375

---

Chinese

trad.		鍵
simp.		键

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (建) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
犍	*ɡran, *kan
騝	*ɡran, *kan
鍵	*ɡran, *ɡranʔ, *ɡanʔ
揵	*ɡran, *kanʔ
鞬	*kan
腱	*kan, *ɡans
湕	*kanʔ
建	*kans
旔	*kans
楗	*ɡanʔ
健	*ɡans

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡran, *ɡranʔ, *ɡanʔ) : semantic 金 (“metal”) + phonetic 建 (OC *kans) – a metal key.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiàn (jian⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gin⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kiān / kiàn

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiàn
    • Wade–Giles: chien⁴
    • Yale: jyàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiann
    • Palladius: цзянь (czjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gin⁶
    • Yale: gihn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gin⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: gin⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kiːn²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiān
    • Tâi-lô: kiān
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kien
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kiɛn²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kiɛn⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kiɛn³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiàn
    • Tâi-lô: kiàn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kiexn
    • IPA (Taipei): /kiɛn¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kiɛn²¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: gjen, gjonX, gjenX

Rime
Character	鍵	鍵	鍵
Reading #	1/3	2/3	3/3
Initial (聲)	群 (30)	群 (30)	群 (30)
Final (韻)	仙 (79)	元 (65)	仙 (79)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III
Fanqie	渠焉切	其偃切	其輦切
Baxter	gjen	gjonX	gjenX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɡˠiᴇn/	/ɡɨɐnX/	/ɡˠiᴇnX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɡᵚiɛn/	/ɡiɐnX/	/ɡᵚiɛnX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɡiæn/	/ɡiɐnX/	/ɡiænX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/gian/	/gɨanX/	/gianX/
Li Rong	/ɡjɛn/	/ɡiɐnX/	/ɡjɛnX/
Wang Li	/ɡĭɛn/	/ɡĭɐnX/	/ɡĭɛnX/
Bernard Karlgren	/gi̯ɛn/	/gɨ̯ɐnX/	/gi̯ɛnX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qián	jiàn	jiàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	kin4	gin6	gin6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡran/, /*ɡranʔ/, /*ɡanʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	鍵	鍵	鍵
Reading #	1/3	2/3	3/3
No.	6211	6213	6222
Phonetic component	建	建	建
Rime group	元	元	元
Rime subdivision	1	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	乾	件	寋
Old Chinese	/*ɡran/	/*ɡranʔ/	/*ɡanʔ/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 鍵

1. ^† door bolt, lock bolt
2. key (in electronic devices)

   9鍵拼音／9键拼音  ―  jiǔjiàn pīnyīn  ―  9-key pinyin (a way of pinyin using a 9-key keyboard)

3. to type

---

Japanese

Kanji

鍵

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ごん (gon); げん (gen)
• Kan-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
• Kun: かぎ (kagi, 鍵, Jōyō)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
鍵
かぎ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Pronunciation

• • Homophone: 鉤

Noun

鍵(かぎ) • (kagi) 

1. key (tool for opening or locking something)
2. key; clue (important fact for solving something)
3. lock

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
鍵
けん Grade: S
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• • Homophones: けん, 件, 見, 券, 妍, 県, 兼, 剣, 拳, 乾, 険, 嶮, 圏, 間, 腱, 権, 賢, 壎, 塤, 顕, 軒

Noun

鍵(けん) • (ken) 

1. (computing) key
2. (music) key

Derived terms

• 鍵盤(けんばん) (kenban): keyboard
• 白鍵(はっけん) (hakken): white key
• 黒鍵(こっけん) (kokken): black key

See also

• 錠(じょう) (jō)

---

Korean

Hanja

鍵 • (geon) (hangeul 건, revised geon, McCune–Reischauer kŏn, Yale ken)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 鍵 (kiện)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.