鍵 — Key

Master (高手)けん, かぎ

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

鍵 (readings: けん, かぎ; Japanese kanji) means “Key”. 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 けん or かぎ depending on the word.

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Updated: 2026-07-22