键
Character learning workspace

jiàn · lock, door bolt

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 5Frequency #5438
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 键

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 键 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Writing notes

Shape and proportion

13Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Left-rightCharacter structure

Keep the left side compact and leave enough room for the right side.

钅Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 键 writing sheet

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 键

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

jiànWords pronounced jiàn
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Example sentences

Notice where 键 sits in each complete thought.

Zhè shì yí gè guān jiàn diǎn.这是一个关键点。

This is a crucial point.

Source: Tatoeba #8550380 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ de māo xǐhuan wǒ de jiàn pán.我的猫喜欢我的键盘。

My cat likes my keyboard.

Source: Tatoeba #9535961 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè zhèng shì wèn tí de guān jiàn.这正是问题的关键。

That's the point.

Source: Tatoeba #336602 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Jiù xiàng nǐ men zhī dào de nà yàng, yì lì shì chéng gōng de guān jiàn.就像你们知道的那样,毅力是成功的关键。

Perseverance, as you know, is the key to success.

Source: Tatoeba #334734 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Guān jiàn bú zài chuān shén me, ér shì zěn me chuān.关键不在穿什么,而是怎么穿。

It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it.

Source: Tatoeba #347586 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ nǎinai shuō, liáng hǎo jiàn kāng de guān jiàn shì bǎo chí jī jí.我奶奶说,良好健康的关键是保持积极。

According to my grandmother, being active is the key to her good health.

Source: Tatoeba #13109473 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 键 in context

  1. Say jiàn, then recall the core meaning: lock, door bolt.
  2. Write all 13 strokes while keeping the left-right balanced.
  3. Use it in 关键 (guān jiàn), meaning “crucial point”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 键 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.