按键
àn jiàn · HSK 7
key
⌨️ 按 = press down + 键 = key — literally press-a-key
按 means to press or push down. 键 means a key (piano key, keyboard key). Together they form the action-object pair: the key you press. àn sounds like 'on' — you turn something on by pressing a key.
按 — hand radical 扌 + 安 (peace)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 gives the meaning, indicating an action done with the hand, while 安 (ān, peace) supplies the sound. The original sense was to press down with the hand, which extended to meanings like 'to push,' 'to restrain,' and figuratively 'according to.'
键 — metal radical 钅 + 建 jiàn (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound. The metal radical 钅 signals the meaning category — originally a metal pin or bolt used to fasten a cart's wheel to its axle. The right side 建 supplies the sound 'jiàn'. The meaning later extended to 'key' and, in modern usage, the keys of a keyboard or piano.