地味
じみ · jimi · JLPT N3 · na-adj
plain
🪨 地味 = earth + flavour: earth-flavoured, so plain and unshowy
地 (ji) is earth or ground, 味 (mi) is taste or flavour. Something with the flavour of plain earth is subdued and modest, not flashy. Its opposite is 派手 (hade), meaning showy or loud.
地 — earth 土 + 也 (phonetic)
地 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left component 土 means 'earth' or 'soil' and gives the meaning, while 也 on the right hints at the pronunciation. Originally referring to the ground or land, it broadened to mean 'place,' 'region,' and 'territory.'