地元
じもと · jimoto · JLPT N1 · noun
local
地元 = 地 (ground, land) + 元 (origin, base): the land where you are rooted
地 means ground and 元 means origin or base, so 地元 is the ground you came from. It is the place you grew up or belong to, the home turf.
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.'
元 — 二 (two) + 兒 variant 儿 (legs/person)
元 originally depicted a person with the head emphasized on top, meaning 'head' or 'origin'. From this came the extended senses of 'first', 'beginning', and 'primary'. It was later borrowed as the name of the Yuan dynasty and the modern Chinese currency unit.