I am working on a videogame that will include "Earth" as a magical element (think similar to types in Pokemon).
I have seen in the dictionary that there are different kanji used to symbolize this concept. Ex: the Buddhist entry for the classical elements uses 地, while the Chinese entry for the classical elements uses 土.
Can anybody clarify to me the nuance of what, if anything, makes these two characters distinct in meaning? And/or could anybody knowledgeable on such let me know which would be best for my purpose?
土 is dirt. Originally it supposedly depicted a lump of clay on a potting wheel. It is a component in many earth related characters, and is one of the traditional Wuxing (five occurrences, or 五行).
地 is land. It is the first character in 地球, the planet earth. It replaces 土 in Godai (five greats, or 五大), placing more emphasis on permanence and immutability.
I would think the best choice for your game would depend on which framework you want to work with.
