意地

いじ · iji · JLPT N3 · noun

spirit

🐂 意地 = mind + ground: the will you stand your ground with

意 means intention or mind, and 地 means ground or base, so 意地 is your inner footing. It shows up in 意地を張る, to dig in your heels, and in 食い意地, a greed for food, which is where the appetite sense comes from.

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.'

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