頼り

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 頼り is read as たより and is a noun related to 頼る, naming a person, thing, or clue relied upon in difficulty.
• Basic usage: Use 一番の頼りだ for dependable support and 地図だけを頼りに進む for proceeding by one guide.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Person and information
  • A sister can be the person counted on for help, while an old map can be the sole information guiding a route.
• Homophone 便り
  • 頼り denotes support or something relied on, whereas the identically pronounced 便り means news or a letter.