操縦
そうじゅう · soujuu · JLPT N3 · noun
control
🕹️✈️ 操 grip + 縦 let loose = tighten and slacken the reins at will
Here 縦 has its old sense of release, as in 放縦 (self-indulgence). To 操縦 is to decide when to hold tight and when to let go, so it means steering or piloting. A pilot is 操縦士, and 操作 (operation) shares the 操.