<blockquote>
<p>匙 <a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/371/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/371/</a></p>
<p>[粵] ci4 | [國] chi2 : spoon</p>
<p>[粵] si4 | [國] shi5 : key</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When '匙' means 'spoon', it is read as /chi2/ in Mandarin</p>
<p>When '匙' means 'key', it is read as /shi5/ in Mandarin</p>
<p>It doesn't matter it is by itself or in a compound word</p>
<p>There are other examples of single character that have more than one meaning and pronounced differently for each meaning.  樂 is one of them. When 樂 means 'joy' it is read as /le4/; When 樂 means 'music' it is read as /yue4/</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-20T17:32:12.033Z
Did you mean it is read as shi5 when it means key?
Kassem
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-20T11:48:49.493Z
2020-02-20T20:00:43.090Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>In Mandarin Chinese, 钥匙 is yao4shi0. The 匙 here can only have the neutral tone.</p>

<p>《现代汉语词典》 has an entry for 匙(shi0), with a very brief explanation: 见1466页【钥匙】（see 钥匙 on page 1466）. The word 钥匙 only has one pronunciation listed: yao5shi0. (I don't have digital version of this dictionary.)</p>

<p>Also you can see <a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E5%8C%99" rel="nofollow noreferrer">匙</a> and <a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E9%92%A5%E5%8C%99" rel="nofollow noreferrer">钥匙</a> on zdic.net, which also only lists only "shi5" for the 匙 in 钥匙.</p>

<p>匙 seems to be "shi5" only in 钥匙，and 钥匙 is always yao4shi5.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-20T14:30:06.470Z
2020-02-20T14:30:06.470Z
fefe
<p>My digital copy of《汉语大词典》gives a first tone:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>匙<br>
  shī<br>
  钥匙</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'd like to check this against a paper copy though, just to be sure.</p>

<hr>

<p>Grand Ricci gives:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>shí (or chí)<br>
  1. Cuiller<br>
  2. N. f.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This seems to be the more likely of the two as it tonally fits the chí pronunciation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-20T11:30:36.500Z
2020-02-20T12:35:46.623Z
2020-02-20T12:35:46.623Z
Mou某
<p>Essentially the same as <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/35831/tone-of-%E5%92%8C-in-%E6%9A%96%E5%92%8C">this question</a>, but the solutions there don't seem applicable here. Both isolated and in compounds, I can only find 匙 as either shi⁰ or chi² “spoon”.</p>

<p>Can this character in this context have a specific tone, and if so in what resource can it be found? Or is looking at tone alone misleading; is/was it possible to read 钥匙 as yao⁴chi²? (Where?)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-23T16:02:41.133Z
spoon: chi2, usually 儿化, chier; key: shi, neutral tone, though the dictionary form is shi4.
sfy
<pronunciation><tones>
Reading of 匙 meaning “key” (as in 钥匙)
# Reading of 匙 meaning “key” (as in 钥匙)

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-02-20)

Essentially the same as [this question](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/35831/tone-of-%E5%92%8C-in-%E6%9A%96%E5%92%8C), but the solutions there don't seem applicable here. Both isolated and in compounds, I can only find 匙 as either shi⁰ or chi² “spoon”.

Can this character in this context have a specific tone, and if so in what resource can it be found? Or is looking at tone alone misleading; is/was it possible to read 钥匙 as yao⁴chi²? (Where?)

**Tags:** pronunciation, tones

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: spoon: chi2, usually 儿化, chier; key: shi, neutral tone, though the dictionary form is shi4.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-02-20. Score: 3

> 匙 <http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/371/>
>
> [粵] ci4 | [國] chi2 : spoon
>
> [粵] si4 | [國] shi5 : key

When '匙' means 'spoon', it is read as /chi2/ in Mandarin

When '匙' means 'key', it is read as /shi5/ in Mandarin

It doesn't matter it is by itself or in a compound word

There are other examples of single character that have more than one meaning and pronounced differently for each meaning. 樂 is one of them. When 樂 means 'joy' it is read as /le4/; When 樂 means 'music' it is read as /yue4/

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Did you mean it is read as shi5 when it means key?  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-02-20. Score: 2

In Mandarin Chinese, 钥匙 is yao4shi0. The 匙 here can only have the neutral tone.

《现代汉语词典》 has an entry for 匙(shi0), with a very brief explanation: 见1466页【钥匙】（see 钥匙 on page 1466）. The word 钥匙 only has one pronunciation listed: yao5shi0. (I don't have digital version of this dictionary.)

Also you can see [匙](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E5%8C%99) and [钥匙](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E9%92%A5%E5%8C%99) on zdic.net, which also only lists only "shi5" for the 匙 in 钥匙.

匙 seems to be "shi5" only in 钥匙，and 钥匙 is always yao4shi5.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-02-20. Score: 2

My digital copy of《汉语大词典》gives a first tone:

> 匙  
> shī  
> 钥匙

I'd like to check this against a paper copy though, just to be sure.

---

Grand Ricci gives:

> shí (or chí)  
> 1. Cuiller  
> 2. N. f.

This seems to be the more likely of the two as it tonally fits the chí pronunciation.


---

