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.
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.
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.
We lit the candle's wick to celebrate the birthday.
The pencil lead keeps wearing down as I write.
Walking through the snow, I got chilled to the bone.
I boiled the potatoes until they were cooked through to the center.
I removed the flower's pistil before making the arrangement.
collar core; collar stiffener