Buddhist temple
寺 centers on a Buddhist temple, a place of worship and religious practice.
寺 originally depicted a hand holding something, later associated with a government office or court. In Japanese, it came to specifically mean a Buddhist temple.
The top 土 (earth) and bottom 寸 (measurement) together suggest a measured plot of land: a temple grounds.
For ジ, imagine a temple bell ringing with a deep 'ji' sound: ji -> ジ, echoing through the temple.
temple (Buddhist)
Buddhist temple
temple
state-supported provincial temple (Nara period)
Buddhist temple within a Shinto shrine; temple attached to a shrine
mountain temple
temples and shrines
inside a temple
Kinkakuji (temple in Kyoto); Golden Pavilion
Buddhist temple within a Shinto shrine
temple elementary school (Edo period)
one's family temple; temple with one's family grave
shrines and temples
Shorinji Kempo (modern Japanese martial art based on Shaolin kung fu)
old temple
ruined temple; abandoned temple; temple ruins
nunnery; convent
branch temple
large temple
temple's territory; temple's estate