JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
地 means ground, earth. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 6 strokes, read ち or じ. It combines 土 (soil, earth), which carries the meaning, with 也, which is there for its sound ち. It appears in 地理 (geography) and 地下鉄 (subway / underground).
地 is written in 6 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
地 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 地理 | ちり | geography |
| 地下鉄 | ちかてつ | subway / underground |
| 地域 | ちいき | region / area / district |
也 tends to carry the sound ち. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 也 | ち | to be (classical) |
| 地 | ち | ground, earth |
| 池 | ち | pond, cistern |
| 弛 | ち | slacken, relax |
These use 土 or 也 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
Sumi teaches the character before it tests you: stroke order animated, the breakdown above shown as a pull-apart X-ray, then spaced review. Free, in your browser, no signup.
Start with kanji, free