故郷 as ふるさと and こきょう, alongside 地元
Read two readings of 故郷 through year-end and spring-break returns, a song and a grandmother's cooking. Compare them with the local area in 地元の人々 at a festival and with a wish to work in one's hometown.
故郷 read as ふるさと
故郷 (ふるさと) can mean hometown or homeland. In “年末には久しぶりに故郷へ帰って旧友に会う。” (“At the end of the year, I return to my hometown and see old friends.”), the speaker returns at the end of the year and sees old friends. 年末 and 旧友 identify the time and the people in that scene.
In “彼女の歌を聞くと遠い故郷の風景が目に浮かぶ。” (“Her song brings the scenery of my distant homeland vividly to mind.”), her song brings a distant homeland's scenery to mind. This describes the landscape being recalled on hearing the song, rather than a trip to that place.
故郷 read as こきょう
The same spelling 故郷 also has the reading こきょう. In “春休みに久しぶりに故郷へ帰った。” (“I returned to my hometown during spring break for the first time in a while.”), the speaker returned home during spring break for the first time in a while. 春休み and 帰った keep this time and completed return distinct from the year-end scene.
In “祖母の料理を食べると故郷を思い出す。” (“My grandmother's cooking reminds me of home.”), the grandmother's cooking reminds the speaker of home. The two readings overlap in hometown meaning; these examples do not establish an exclusive urban, rural or formality rule for either reading.
地元 identifies the local area or hometown
地元 (じもと) means local area or hometown. In “祭りには地元の人々が大勢集まった。” (“Many local people gathered at the festival.”), many local people gathered at the festival. 地元の人々 identifies people from the area, rather than the recalled scenery of the song example.
In “大学を卒業したら地元で働きたい。” (“I want to work in my hometown after graduating from university.”), the speaker wants to work in the hometown after graduating from university. 卒業したら and 働きたい express a condition and a wish, not employment already obtained. 地元 alone also does not establish a birthplace.
Must 故郷 have just one reading throughout the sentences in this guide?
Show the answer and why
No. The year-end return and song scenes use ふるさと, while the spring-break return and grandmother's cooking scenes use こきょう. Learn the two readings separately despite their shared spelling.