尊重
そんちょう · sonchou · JLPT N3 · noun
respect
🙇 尊重 = honoured (尊) + weighty (重): giving someone's views real weight
尊 means precious or honoured, and 重 means heavy or important. To respect someone is to count their wishes as heavy, not brush them aside. Same idea in English: we say someone's opinion carries weight.
重 — person 人 + east 東 (phonetic)
Originally depicted a person carrying a heavy bundle on their back, suggesting weight and burden. The 東-like element served as a phonetic component. Over time the character split into two readings: zhòng meaning 'heavy' and chóng meaning 'repeat/again'.