KanjiJLPT N1
Repay

repay, reward, retribution

Mnemonic

You repay the governor of your state by presenting a rare bottle of wine from his hometown vineyard. Each vintage you send repays a bit more of the enormous debt you owe him for saving your family's farm.
Additional thoughts
Picture a dusty cellar full of wine bottles, each labeled with the state seal—every bottle shipped out is a gesture of gratitude, a tangible repayment for a life-changing favor.
Quick recall
A bottle of wine from your state to repay the governor's kindness.

Details

The keyword for 酬 is repay. This kanji conveys the idea of returning a favor, responding to kindness, or compensating someone for what they have done. It often carries the nuance of reciprocating in a social or moral sense, such as rewarding someone's efforts or answering their goodwill with an appropriate response. The concept extends to remuneration and recompense in both tangible and intangible forms.
On'yomi
しゅう、しゅ、とう
Kun'yomi
むく.いる

Used in vocab