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In Japanese there’s 地球 which means Earth (this planet), and 土 which means soil. 地 can also mean soil, but it’s a different word from 地球 meaning the planet eart
by xevb3k 8y ago
In Japanese there’s 地球 which means Earth (this planet), and 土 which means soil.
地 can also mean soil, but it’s a different word from 地球 meaning the planet earth. I don’t think it’s commonly used by itself to mean soil either, but I could be wrong.
- mediumdeviation 8y agoIt means ground, as in the surface on which we live and build things on. 球 means ball or sphere. I wonder if that’s the reason why flat Earthers are rare in China and Japan - the very phrase ‘flat Earth’ is an oxymoron in these languages :)
- xevb3k 8y agoRight, but the word 地球 can only mean the planet Earth, it’s not synonymous with anything else and there’s no room for confusion. Soil, or ground (on any planet) is a different word. There’s not much room for confusion.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- torstenvl 8y agoI was under the impression that 土 could be used for "earth," so I apologize. Thanks for the correction!
- xevb3k 8y agoI’ve not heard it used that way, but I could be wrong. There’s possibly also a historical usage in this sense.