na-adjective
crucial; critical; vital; core
Describes the most important, central, or essential part of something. Often used in formal or analytical contexts.
この問題の核心的な部分を理解する必要がある。
We need to understand the crucial part of this problem.
彼の指摘は核心的だった。
His point was right to the heart of the matter.
重要 means 'important' in a general sense. 核心的 emphasizes being at the very center or essence of something, not just important.
Formed from 核心 (core, heart) + 的 (-like, -ic), a common pattern for creating adjectival nouns from nouns.