地

[eeky]

Hi, how should 地 be pronounced when it is used as a separate word meaning "ground", i.e. the surface beneath our feet? (I hope I haven't asked this one before. Apologies if I have.)

 

[Mike Cash]

ち

 

[eeky]

At WWWJDIC, other pronunciations じ, つち and つし are also mentioned. Is じ only in compounds? What about the other two? Are they ever used?

 

[Mike Cash]

In regards to the actual ground beneath our feet, outside of figurative speech I don't recall ever having heard it called either ち or じ (single character). Usually 地面 is used.

The two other readings are, I believe, non-standard alternate readings. つち is usually 土.

 

[Toritoribe]

じ has many meanings other than "ground / the surface beneath our feet". The only example that 地[じ] means "ground" I can think of now is a proverb 雨降って地固まる, as in the dictionary. (地面を掘る is far more common than 地を掘る, as Mike-san mentioned.)
じ【地】の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書
じ【地】の英語・英訳 - 和英辞書 - 英語辞書 - goo辞書

As for the rest two, a compound word 天地[あめつち] is the only example of the reading つち I can think of now, and 広辞苑 says that つし is an Old Eastern dialect of つち.