核心 (héxīn) · core

核心 (héxīn) means “core; heart; centre”. It is written with 2 characters: 核 (core) + 心 (heart). It is an old HSK 5 word (HSK 2.0).

How 核心 is built

What 核 is made of

木mù — tree
- 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 八bā — eight
亥hài — 12th terrestrial branch
- 亠tóu — lid
  - 丶 — dot
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

What 心 is made of

心 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 4 strokes.

Origin hint: A heart (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

这是问题的核心。Zhè shì wèntí de héxīn.This is the heart of the problem.

他是我们队的核心人物。Tā shì wǒmen duì de héxīn rénwù.He is the key person on our team.

What does 核心 mean?

核心 (héxīn) means “core; heart; centre”.

How do you pronounce 核心?

核心 is pronounced héxīn.

Which HSK level is 核心?

核心 is in Old HSK 5.

Learn 核心 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 5 · Group 40: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.