Refers to the central, most important part of a system, organization, or infrastructure. Often used in compound nouns like 基幹産業 (key industry) or 基幹システム (core system).
What is the core business of this company?
Updating the core system takes time.
This factory serves as the backbone of the local economy.
The automobile industry is a mainstay industry of Japan.
核心 points to the essential, often abstract heart of a matter, whereas 基幹 refers to the concrete structural or functional backbone of a system.
基盤 emphasizes the foundation on which something is built, while 基幹 emphasizes the core framework that keeps a system running.
基幹 means the core or foundation of a system in general (e.g. 基幹システム), whereas バックボーン specifically refers to the high-capacity core of a network.
機関 (same reading) means an institution or engine/mechanism, while 基幹 means the core or backbone of a system, not an institution itself.
器官 (same reading) refers to a biological organ, whereas 基幹 refers to the structural core of a system or organization, not a body part.
期間 (same reading) means a period of time, while 基幹 means the core or mainstay of a system, unrelated to time.
Compound of 基 (foundation, base) and 幹 (trunk, main part). The combination conveys the idea of a central supporting structure.