The Japanese kanji “重” (readings: じゅう / ちょう in onyomi, おもい / かさねる in kunyomi) primarily means “heavy” or “important.” It is widely used in everyday words like “重い” (heavy), “重要” (important), and “重力” (gravity).
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📖 Core Meanings of 重
- Heavy: Physical weight, burden.
- Example: 重い (omoi) → heavy.
- Important: Serious, essential, significant.
- Example: 重要 (juuyou) → important.
- Pile up: To stack or accumulate.
- Example: 重ねる (kasaneru) → to pile up.
- Respect/esteem: Used in compounds like 尊重 (sonchou) → respect.
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📝 Readings
- Onyomi (Chinese-derived): じゅう (juu), ちょう (chou).
- Kunyomi (native Japanese): おもい (heavy), かさねる (to pile up).
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🌟 Common Words with 重
- 重大 (じゅうだい) → serious, grave.
- 重要 (じゅうよう) → important, essential.
- 体重 (たいじゅう) → body weight.
- 重力 (じゅうりょく) → gravity.
- 慎重 (しんちょう) → careful, cautious.
- 尊重 (そんちょう) → respect, esteem.
- 重ねる (かさねる) → to pile up, repeat.
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⚖️ Usage Nuances
- Literal: Heavy objects, burdens.
- Figurative: Serious problems, important matters.
- Technical: Counters for layers or folds (e.g., 二重 nijuu → double).
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📊 Comparison Table
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Example |
|------|---------|---------|---------|
| 重い | おもい | Heavy | この本は重いです。 (This book is heavy.) |
| 重要 | じゅうよう | Important | これは重要な問題です。 (This is an important issue.) |
| 重力 | じゅうりょく | Gravity | 地球の重力 (Earth’s gravity) |
| 重ねる | かさねる | To pile up | 本を重ねる (Pile up books) |