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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。
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question
words
縁＆端: Are these readings still relevant?
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
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answer