• 幹線かんせん — main line / highway
• 幹部かんぶ — executive staff / management
• 根幹こんかん — foundation / backbone
• 新幹線しんかんせん — Shinkansen (bullet train)
• 幹みき — tree trunk

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幹 combines 干 (base) with structural components, originally meaning upright beams in buildings — the “spine” or trunk. It later extended to main lines, executive positions, or foundational elements in organizations and systems.