Chinkuchi sounds very similar to kime. But how is it different?

Answer: Well, its complicated but first lets look at what chinkuchi is and what kime is: “Kime is about focus while chinkuchi is a methodology that used focus in its applications, i.e., focus or kime is a part of applying chinkuchi.” Focus your body, mind and spirit on that one single point regardless of what that is vs. focusing our application of chinkuchi into that one instance or moment are two separately distinct functions, etc.

Kime or a total focus is a mind-set and mind-state while chinkuchi is about bringing a type of focus on something used where your mind, body and spirit must become one in a manner of speaking. The practice and application of chinkuchi is a holistic wholehearted approach to learning, training, understanding and utilizing karate and martial arts while kime is used within such a practice and application, etc.

Read about Chinkuchi here: “Chinkuchi - The Difinitive Answer (FINAL)”

Then compare that description with the one for “Kime” as follows: 

Kime [決め]

The characters/ideograms are used to mean "focus." The first character means, "fix; agree upon; appoint; decide." It is a noun form of the term "kimeru [決める]." This term, character/ideogram means to "clinch (a vistory); to decide; to resolve; to persist in doing; to go through with; to carry out successfully and to immobilize with a double are lock (in sumo, judo, etc.)."

In karate it means power or focus, the more common being focus. It is often described as the instantaneous tensing at the correct moment in applying a technique. 

In the fundamental principles of martial systems it comes to mean "total focus." It is about "focusing on a single point" as described above as that instantaneous tensing moment in a technique. When a karate-ka learns about kime they are taught to associate it with "mushin" where the mind is connected by its mind-state of being uncluttered, unfettered, and unfocused except for remaining responsive, alert, and aware of self and the environment, etc. It is about a focus on the present moment with no disruptions of the past or about anything possible for the future - only the exact moment. 

To achieve this level of kime and mushin the karate-ka must have applied all the fundamental principles equally except for the principles necessary to achieve success such as those physiokinetic and technique principles that bring about that instantaneous tensing or chinkuchi, at the moment of technique application.