大統領
だいとうりょう · daitouryou · JLPT N3 · noun
president
🏛️ 大 big + 統 unite/govern + 領 lead = the great uniting leader
統領 (tōryō) is an old word for a commander or chief. Add 大, big or great, and you get the great chief: the head of state in a republic. Sound hook: dai-tou-ryou, the dai (big) leader who rules the land.
大 — pictograph of a person with arms outstretched
大 is a pictograph showing a person standing with arms and legs spread wide. The outstretched arms suggest 'big' or 'great', extending from the literal image of a large stance to abstract meanings like important or grand. It is one of the oldest characters, found on oracle bones.