锁 (suǒ): lock; padlock

Measure Word

一把锁 bǎ

Meanings

1 lock; padlock
2 to lock; to lock up

Characters

锁

suǒ

lock; to lock up

Examples

出门别忘了锁门。

Chūmén bié wàng le suǒmén.

Don't forget to lock the door when you leave.

这把锁坏了，打不开。

Zhè bǎ suǒ huài le, dǎ bù kāi.

This lock is broken and won't open.

他把自行车锁好了。

Tā bǎ zìxíngchē suǒ hǎole.

He locked up his bicycle.

门锁了，你有钥匙吗？

Ménsuǒ le, nǐ yǒu yàoshi ma?

The door is locked - do you have a key?

Tips

usage

锁 works as both noun (a lock) and verb (to lock). 锁门 = lock the door. 开锁 = unlock. 上锁 = to padlock/secure with a lock.

usage

锁定 = to lock onto / lock in (also used for phone screens). 解锁 = to unlock (physical or digital). 密码锁 = combination lock.

Components

radical

钅 jīn

metal; gold (radical form)

Left metal radical - simplified side-form of 金, indexing radical. Marks 锁 as a metal object: locks, chains, padlocks were forged hardware. Same family as 钱 (money/coins), 钉 (nail), 钥 (key - literally the metal that opens 锁), 铁 (iron). Practical industrial radical.

semantic

⺌ xiǎo

small (top form)

Top of the right side - the "small" top-form (compressed 小). In 锁 it sits above 贝 as the residual upper portion of an older phonetic; the modern simplified character keeps these three short strokes as a graphic remnant rather than a true "small" meaning. Visual placeholder linking to other right-stack characters.

phonetic

贝 bèi

shell; cowrie; money

Bottom right 贝 - historically part of the phonetic stack giving 锁 its sound (suǒ; the older traditional phonetic was simplified by compression). Cowrie shells were ancient currency, valuable enough to lock away - a happy mnemonic: precious shells (贝) under metal (钅), guarded behind a small gate (⺌).