鍵 — “Key” in Japanese

Master (高手)けん, かぎ

Radical ⾦ · radical 167 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Key” in Japanese is 鍵, read ken, kagi (けん, かぎ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 鍵 (key).

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What does 鍵 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	鍵
Meaning	Key
Readings	けん, かぎ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	鍵 (key)

How to read 鍵

鍵 is read ken (けん) or kagi (かぎ) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 鍵

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28