縁＆端: Are these readings still relevant?

Question

These words bug the heck out of me due to their multiple readings, and I haven't found anything that addresses this problem. Thus, I am going to attempt to compile a list of the ones I'm having trouble with. Please point out any error should you see one, as I guarantee there shall be many. The following definitions are secretly stolen from the dictionary I am using (ルミナス, 研究社). Here the focus is on how they should be read as a single word alone.

縁: へり・ふち・ゆかり・よすが

1. へり

   物の端{はし} edge；布{ぬの}や着物の hem；コップや茶碗{ちゃわん}など円形の物の brim；畳{たたみ}などの border

2. ふち

   へり edge； 一般に物の周辺 fringe；崖{がけ}などの brink；眼鏡･帽子の rim；コップなどの brim; 額縁{がくぶち} frame
   例：池の*縁{ふち}(or *縁{へり})；　縁なし・金縁{きんぶち} の眼鏡
   *See below. Could be that only one reading is correct.

   And now a quotation from our buddy, goo辞書:

   「机のふち（へり）に手をつく」「茶碗のふち（へり）」「崖のふち（へり）」のように、物のまわりやまぎわの部分の意では、相通じて用いられる。◇「ふち」には「目のふちを赤くする」とか、「眼鏡のふち」「額 (がく) ぶち」のような、回りの枠をいう使い方もあり、この場合は「へり」は用いない。◇「へり」は、「船べり」「川べり」のように平らなものの周辺部をいうことが多く、さらに周辺部につける飾り物などの意まで広がる。「リボンでへりをつける」「畳のへりがすり切れる」

   Rough translation:
   For the edge or brim of things like desks, rice bowl, teacup, cliffs, etc., both readings (へり & ふち) are interchangeable. However, for things that has a rim, frame, and so on, use ふち (or ぶち as a suffix). As for へり (or べり as a suffix), you want to use it for the border of flat stuff, or adornments added to the border of... stuff.

3. ゆかり
   The definition seems to overlap with 縁{えん}, a reading I won't bring up.

   繋{つな}がり connection；血縁関係 relation
   例：
   a.) 彼女は私には縁（？）も*ゆかりもない。 She has no relation to me.
   b.) ここは『蝶々夫人』*ゆかりの地である。 This place is noted in connection with Madame Butterfly.
   ？I do not know how in the world to read this one.

4. よすが

   思い出させる物･事 reminder；助け help；手段 means
   例：
   a.) 亡き友が*よすがにと残した詩集 a collection of poems my dead friend left as a reminder of them
   b.) 身を寄せる*よすがもない。 I have nowhere to go for help.

---

端: たん・は・はし・はな

1. たん (standalone)
   No definition is given, but this reading seems to go with を発する only.

   例：
   a.) その革命は何に*端を発したのか。 What triggered the revolution?
   b.) 夫婦げんかはつまらない事に*端を発することが多い。 A quarrel between a couple often originates in trifles.

2. は

   edge
   例：山の*端 a mountain ridge

3. はし
   Again, seems to overlap with は to me.

   末端 end；隅 corner；縁 edge
   例：
   a.) 彼は一番前の列の*端に座った。 He sat at the end of the front row.
   b.) 机の*端にはインクのしみがついていた。 There was an ink stain on the corner of the desk.

4. はな

   始まり the beginning；出発点 the start；最初 the first
   例：そんなことは*はなから知っていた。 I knew it from the beginning.

   *These two have their own entries: はした金{がね} small sum (of money)；端数{はすう} fraction

---

Bonus confusion:

「側」―When read as がわ, it means "side," and the reading かわ is becoming less common even when you see 側 alone. When read as そば, it means "a place close to something/somewhere." For 側{がわ}, kanji is usually written, whereas そば is written in kana.

---

Questions:
Is this list up to date with modern conventions? Are some of these readings replaced by another nowadays? Which readings are usually written in kana, and which in kanji?

---

TIL: 畳の縁{へり}を踏んではいけません。

Answer 1

This question is probably worth a research paper or at least a blog post but here’s my attempt anyway.

I checked the Kodansha’s Learner dictionary (based on The Kodansha Kanji Dictionary), which seems to give only the most relevant information.

---

for 縁: On reading is エン, both in compounds and standalone

Kun is ふち. these examples are given for it:

ふち EDGE, verge, brink, border, side; frame; hem, fringe

縁取り ふちどりbordering, hemming

盆の縁 ぼんのふち edge of a tray

額縁 がくぶち (picture) frame

ゆかりand ゆり are listed as nanori only. other readings are not mentioned, so you can probably ignore them unless you read some old texts

---

for 端, the article is quite long so I won’t quote it all but here’s what it mentions for は:

は¹ 端 edge, border

山の端 やまのは edge [brow] of mountain

は² 端 [in compounds]odd thing, fragment, piece—historically sometimes interchangeable with 葉, as in the word はがき, which is now always written 葉書

端数 はすう fraction, odd sum

半端 はんぱ fragment, odd item; incompleteness

下っ端 したっぱ underling, subordinate

and はた;

はた 端, -ばた -端 [also suffix]edge, side

池の端で いけのはたで near [by] the pond

道端 みちばた roadside, wayside