noun
wick; pencil lead; staple; pith or stuffing
Used for the central or inserted material inside an object: a candle wick, mechanical-pencil lead, stapler staples, stuffing, pith, marrow, and similar inner material.
ろうそくの芯に火をつけた。
I lit the candle's wick.
シャープペンの芯が折れた。
The mechanical pencil lead broke.
noun
Refers to the central part or inner essence of something, both physically and figuratively. Common in expressions such as 体の芯 and 芯が強い.
See also: 心 (しん)
寒さで体の芯まで冷えた。
The cold chilled me to the core.
彼女は芯の強い人だ。
She is a person with strong inner resolve.
noun
pistil; stamen; flower's reproductive core
Botanical use corresponding to 蕊; depending on context, it may refer specifically to the pistil or to the stamen. In everyday speech, 花の芯 can also sound like the central part of a flower more generally.
See also: 蕊 (しべ)
この図では、花の芯が雌しべや雄しべの部分として示されている。
In this diagram, the flower's 芯 is shown as the pistil or stamen area.
Also read しん and can mean the heart or core, but 心 is broader for mind, spirit, or inner feeling, while 芯 emphasizes a physical core or firm inner center.
Means nucleus or core, often in technical, scientific, or abstract contexts; 芯 is more everyday for object-internal parts such as wicks and pencil leads.
The more precise botanical word for a flower's pistil or stamen; 芯 is less technical and can also simply mean the center of a flower.
A Sino-Japanese noun read しん. The kanji 芯 is conventionally associated with a plant or object’s inner core; the historical derivation is not specified.