Japanese symbol for “pith”
芯
しん
Romaji: shin
wick; marrow; staple (for stapler); (pencil) lead
In Japanese, pith is 芯, read しん (shin).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n wick; marrow; staple (for stapler); (pencil) lead; stuffing; pith
- n core; heart; centre; center
- n pistil (of a flower)
- n stamen
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pith”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 真髄 | しんずい shinzui | essence; quintessence; spirit |
| 骨子 | こっし kosshi | main point; gist; essentials |
| 髄 | ずい zui | medulla; pith |
| 精髄 | せいずい seizui | essence; kernel; spirit |
| 木髄 | もくずい mokuzui | pith; medulla |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 芯地 | しんじ shinji | padding; lining; foundation |
| 帯芯 | おびしん obishin | thick obi sash; sash padding |
| 替え芯 | かえしん kaeshin | spare pencil lead; pen refill (cartridge); replacement wick (e.g. of a lantern) |
| 鉛筆の芯 | えんぴつのしん enpitsunoshin | lead of a pencil |
| 蝋燭の芯 | ろうそくのしん rousokunoshin | wick of a candle |
| 衿芯 | えりしん erishin | collar core (stiff fabric, etc. inside a collar) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pith”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.