Refers to the central part or core of something, often in physical or metaphorical contexts. Less common than 芯 (しん) in everyday use.
この果物の中子は固い。
The core of this fruit is hard.
tang (of a sword, etc.)
Technical term for the part of a blade that extends into the handle. Used in swordsmithing and tool-making.
刀の中子に銘が刻まれている。
The tang of the sword is inscribed with a signature.
middle of a nest of boxes
Refers to the middle container in a set of nested boxes (入れ子). Rare standalone; mostly encountered in traditional craft contexts.
See also: 入れ子
入れ子の中子を取り出す。
Take out the middle box of the nested set.
Standard kanji spelling for the core or tang meaning.
Rare spelling; normally read ちゅうしん. May appear in older texts for the core sense.
Specialized spelling for the tang of a blade; otherwise read くき.
Compound of 中 (なか, 'inside') and 子 (こ, 'small thing'). The reading なかご is a kun'yomi compound. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.