Key Facts
- Hangul: 열쇠; Revised Romanization: yeolsoe
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: native
- Register: Neutral everyday word.
Key in Korean: What Does 열쇠 Mean?
열쇠 means key and door key, in a neutral everyday register. It is a native word. It names the metal key that opens a lock, and it combines with 구멍 to describe the keyhole.
How Do You Pronounce 열쇠?
Romanized yeolsoe. It is pronounced [yeol-ssoe]: the ㅅ is tense in this word, like ss. The vowel ㅚ may also be said as we, so [yeol-sswe] is heard too.
Example Sentences with 열쇠
열쇠가 어디 있어요?
yeolsoega eodi isseoyo?
Where is the key?
A question you ask when something is missing. 어디 means where, so the sentence asks where the key is.
열쇠로 문을 열어요.
yeolsoero muneul yeoreoyo.
I open the door with a key.
로 after the key marks the tool, so the sentence reads "with a key, I open the door". 문 is the door and 열어요 is open.
열쇠를 잃어버렸어요.
yeolsoereul ireobeoryeosseoyo.
I lost my key.
잃어버렸어요 is the past of losing something. The line is useful at a front desk or a lost-and-found.
Common Phrases and Collocations
Two collocations are verb phrases, and the others are compounds, a key chain and a keyhole.
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 열쇠를 잃어버리다 | to lose a key |
| 열쇠로 열다 | to open with a key |
| 열쇠고리 | key chain |
| 열쇠 구멍 | keyhole |
The Mistake to Avoid
Learners use the English-looking 키 for every key.
- Wrong: 키 for a door key
- Right: 열쇠 (door key)
The loanword 키 is for keyboard keys and car keys, and the native word 키 also means height.
열쇠 Compared with Similar Words
The closest rival is 키, a loanword from English "key". It covers keyboard keys and car keys, plus height. 자물쇠 is the lock or padlock that the key opens.
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 키 | key (keyboard / car key) | Loanword used for keyboard keys and car keys; 키 also means height. |
| 자물쇠 | lock / padlock | The lock the key opens. |
Where Does the Word Come From?
열쇠 is a native Korean word with no hanja form.
Finding a Key before Leaving Home
Two housemates are about to go out. One cannot find the door key, and the other spots it on the table.
Jisu
열쇠가 어디 있어요?
Yeolsoega eodi isseoyo?
Where is the key?
Alex
식탁 위에 있어요.
Siktak wie isseoyo.
It is on the dining table.
Jisu
이 열쇠예요?
I yeolsoeyeyo?
Is it this key?
Alex
네. 그 열쇠로 문을 열어요.
Ne. Geu yeolsoero muneul yeoreoyo.
Yes. That is the key we use to open the door.
이 points to the key Jisu is holding or indicating. 그 points back to that key in Alex’s reply. The exchange moves from locating an object to identifying which key it is. If several keys are lying together, pointing and asking 이 열쇠예요 is more useful than repeating the location question.
The last line keeps the door as the object and the key as the tool. 열쇠로 tells you what opens the door; 문을 tells you what is opened. This same distinction helps when explaining a key that fits one door but not another.
Keeping, Lending, and Copying Keys
열쇠를 두고 오다 means to leave a key behind and come away without it. You may know exactly where it is, such as on your desk at work. 열쇠를 잃어버리다 means to lose it. Choose between them according to whether you know where the missing key was left.
열쇠를 빌리다 means to borrow a key, while 열쇠를 돌려주다 means to return it. These are useful when staying with a friend or using a shared room. The key takes 를 because it is the thing borrowed or returned. In 열쇠로 문을 열다, its role changes to the tool used.
열쇠 복사 means key copying. On a shop sign, 복사 is about making another key with the same shape, rather than printing a photograph of it. 여분의 열쇠 means a spare key. A spare describes its purpose; a copied key describes how it was made.
A Figurative Key to a Problem
해결의 열쇠 means “the key to a solution”. There is no physical lock: 열쇠 names the important clue, condition, or method that makes a solution possible. You may see the phrase in news headlines or explanations of a difficult problem.
The literal image still helps. A door stays closed until the right key is found; a problem stays difficult until the crucial point is understood. Read the words around 열쇠 to decide whether the speaker means an object in a pocket or a way forward.
Where You Will Hear 열쇠
열쇠 comes up at home, at accommodation desks, and when people discuss lost belongings. A hotel may also use 카드 키 for a key card. The object handed to you may be a card rather than a metal key, so listen for the fuller name instead of assuming a particular shape.
The noun itself is neutral. A polite request to borrow a key and a complaint to a close friend can both use 열쇠. The relationship changes the sentence ending, rather than requiring a special respectful word for the object.
Words around the Door
| Korean | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 문 | door | The thing opened in 열쇠로 문을 열다. |
| 자물쇠 | lock / padlock | The mechanism a matching key opens. |
| 열쇠고리 | key ring / keychain | Keeps keys together. |
| 비밀번호 | password / PIN | Used for a coded lock instead of a physical key. |
The everyday objects lesson teaches household items together. Knowing 문 and 자물쇠 lets you explain which part has a problem when the key will not work.
Quick Self-Test
- Which phrase means leaving a key somewhere you know, rather than losing it?
- In 열쇠로 문을 열어요, what does 로 mark?
- Is 해결의 열쇠 normally a metal object?
Show answers
- 열쇠를 두고 오다.
- The tool used to open the door.
- No. It means the crucial clue or means of solving a problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say key in Korean?
Say 열쇠 (yeolsoe), pronounced [yeol-ssoe].
What is a keychain?
It is 열쇠고리.
Can I use 키 for a door key?
Prefer 열쇠 for a door key. 키 is for keyboard keys and car keys, and it also means height.
How do you say "I lost my key"?
Say 열쇠를 잃어버렸어요.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: Daily life home everyday objects vocabulary groups 열쇠 with its neighbours.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Compare with 키, which also means height.
- Next in the list: the word for letter.