钥匙 (yàoshi): key

Measure Word

一把钥匙 bǎ

Nǐ kàndào wǒ de yàoshi le ma?

Have you seen my keys?

Wǒ bǎ yàoshi wàng zài jiālǐ le.

I left my keys at home.

mistakes

The second character 匙 is pronounced 'shi' (neutral tone) in 钥匙, not 'chí'. However, in 汤匙 (tāngchí, spoon) the same character is read as 'chí'.

memory

钥 has the metal radical 钅(gold/metal) because keys are made of metal. 匙 also appears in 汤匙 (spoon) — both are small metal tools.

钥 yào

匙 chí