問屋
とんや · tonya · JLPT N1 · noun
shop
📦 問 (ask) + 屋 (shop) = a shop you ask for goods in bulk; とん sounds like ton, a bulk weight
Historically, 問屋 were agents who took orders and inquiries between producers and retailers, dealing in large lots. The sound とん echoes the English word ton, a unit of bulk.
屋 — corpse 尸 + reach/arrive 至
屋 originally depicted a place where one arrives (至) to rest under a roof, with 尸 here representing a covering or dwelling rather than a corpse. The character came to mean 'house' or 'room'. Today it commonly refers to a house or a room within a building.