also: ほぞ
navel; belly button
The ordinary body-part meaning. In everyday Japanese it is normally written へそ rather than in kanji.
I gently wiped the baby's belly button.
The shirt is short, so his navel is showing.
central bump or hollow; navel-like depression
Only with reading へそ / ヘソ
Used by analogy for a small protrusion or depression in the middle of an object. Restricted this sense to the readings へそ and ヘソ.
A little dirt was left in the apple's navel-like hollow.
Figurative use for the center or most important part of something. Common in set-like expressions such as 日本のへそ and in somewhat informal descriptions of the core of an idea or project.
That town is called the center of Japan.
The key point of this project is getting local people involved.
Okayama Prefecture is sometimes called the navel (center) of Japan.
He gets sulky as soon as you point out his mistakes.
If you heard an excuse like that, you'd die laughing at how ridiculous it is.
This shirt is so short that my navel shows.
peccary
Older or literary reading of 臍; not used for this word's object-protrusion/depression sense.
Katakana spelling is attested and is often used for emphasis, labels, or a slightly casual visual style.
Rare kanji variant listed; mainly useful for recognition or search.