# 鍵 — Key

Frequency rank 1438 / 2,608 in published Japanese.

Rarer in this ranking, but still part of the 2,608-character published set.

More common than 湿 (Damp), less common than 鋭 (Sharp).

- On’yomi: けん
- Kun’yomi: かぎ
- Radical: 金 Gold (Kangxi 167)
- Frequency path: Level XI of XX

Gold on the left, with a building and a cow on the right — a golden key hidden in a building where a cow guards the door.

In words:

- 鍵 かぎ — key

[Study 鍵](https://app.kanjidrift.com/study?kanji=%E9%8D%B5)

[← Rank 1437: 鋭 (Sharp)](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/鋭.md) · [Rank 1439: 湿 (Damp) →](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/湿.md)

[HTML](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency/鍵/) · [Full ranking](https://kanjidrift.com/frequency.md)