wick
On'yomi (音読み)
- シン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
—
About this kanji
The kanji 芯 (しん) primarily means "wick" or "core." It is often used as a noun rather than a verb. You might encounter this kanji in various compound words, such as 帯芯 (おびしん), which refers to the thick part of an obi sash; 芯地 (しんじ), meaning padding used in clothing; and 衿芯 (えりしん), which describes the stiff fabric found inside a collar. Another interesting compound is 真芯 (ましん), meaning dead center. A usage note is that while this kanji does not have a common kun'yomi reading, its on'yomi reading is widely used in compound words, making it important to recognize in context.
Example sentences
ロウソクの芯が短くなってきた。
The wick of the candle has become short.
Meanings across languages
- English
- wick
- Tiếng Việt
- bấc
- 日本語
- 芯
- 한국어
- 심지
- 中文
- 芯
- id
- sumbu
- th
- ไส้ตะเกียง
- es
- mecha
- fr
- mèche
- de
- Docht
- pt
- pavio
Common compounds
- 帯芯thick obi sash, sash padding
- 芯地padding, lining, foundation
- 衿芯collar core (stiff fabric, etc. inside a collar)
- 真芯dead center
- 紙芯cardboard tube
- 替え芯spare pencil lead, pen refill (cartridge), replacement wick (e.g. of a lantern)
- 空芯菜Chinese water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica), ong choy, kang kong
- 真っ芯dead center (of a baseball bat), sweet spot
Words using this kanji
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.