<p>Individual address private keys <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key#Base58_Wallet_Import_format" rel="nofollow noreferrer">begin with 5,L or K</a>. What you're calling root private keys are actually called extended private keys and they begin with ?prv where ? is either x,z,y,Y,Z. You can see examples of those <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/BIP_0032#Test_vector_1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>. So that's how you tell the difference.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-08T14:18:02.903Z
2020-06-08T14:18:02.903Z
Abdussamad
<p>If I have a bitcoin private key, public key or address, can I know if it is a root private key or some other part which derived from a root private key in an HD wallet by the structure of it?</p>

<p>To be more specific - I don't need to know any details about the parent keys or to connect a hierarchy between two keys - just to know by the structure if to treat this key/address as "unique" one in my program.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-08T23:58:49.903Z
No, and that's a feature of HD wallets - you can't tell how keys or addresses relate to each other without knowing secret material. It's a privacy feature.
pinhead
<address><private-key><bip32-hd-wallets><public-key><base58>
Can I know if a bitcoin private/public key or address was derived from another key in an HD wallet by its structure?
Avi El
# Can I know if a bitcoin private/public key or address was derived from another key in an HD wallet by its structure?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-06-08)

If I have a bitcoin private key, public key or address, can I know if it is a root private key or some other part which derived from a root private key in an HD wallet by the structure of it?

To be more specific - I don't need to know any details about the parent keys or to connect a hierarchy between two keys - just to know by the structure if to treat this key/address as "unique" one in my program.

**Tags:** address, private-key, bip32-hd-wallets, public-key, base58

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: No, and that's a feature of HD wallets - you can't tell how keys or addresses relate to each other without knowing secret material. It's a privacy feature.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-06-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Individual address private keys [begin with 5,L or K](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Private_key#Base58_Wallet_Import_format). What you're calling root private keys are actually called extended private keys and they begin with ?prv where ? is either x,z,y,Y,Z. You can see examples of those [here](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/BIP_0032#Test_vector_1). So that's how you tell the difference.


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