repay, reward, retribution
酬 centers on giving something back in response to what was received: repaying a kindness, rewarding effort, or exacting retribution. The common thread is a reciprocal exchange that balances the scales.
酬 combines 酉 (a wine vessel) with 州, which likely contributes the sound. The idea of repaying or toasting with wine fits the reciprocal meaning.
The left side is a wine vessel 酉, and the right side 州 looks like a river with islands. Picture offering a cup of wine to someone across the water as a way to repay a favor or reward their help.
For シュウ, imagine a shoe filled with wine as a strange reward: shoe -> シュウ, and you repay the giver with a toast.
remuneration; recompense; reward; toll
exchange (of words, views, punches, cups, etc.); give-and-take
reciprocity
reciprocity
trust fee; custodian fee
medical fee
compensation committee; remuneration committee
officer's compensation or remuneration
debt bondage (ritsuryō system); forced labor on failure to pay a debt
fee contingent upon success; contingency fee; completion bonus
income category for calculating social insurance payments; renumeration category
unpaid; without pay; gratuitous; voluntary
special reward
exchange of sake cups
Social Insurance Medical Fee Payment Fund (abbr)
Social Insurance Medical Fee Payment Fund
gross salary
payment (system) for medical services
reply (epistolary)