Respect - Honor - Esteem in Chinese / Japanese...

尊敬 is how to express the ideas of respect, honor, reverence, esteem, nobility, and sometimes the state of being noble, all in one word. Most of the time, this is used as “giving respect,” but depending on the context, it can suggest that you should try to be “worthy of respect.”

Although pronounced differently, the Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja are the same across these languages. This is an indication that this word is very old and crosses many barriers and cultures in the Orient (East Asia).

相互尊重 means mutual respect in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The first two characters are a word that means each other, mutual or reciprocal.

The last two characters are a word that means to respect, honor, value, eminent, or hold in high esteem.

尊敬心 means respectful heart in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

The root is 尊敬 which means respect, honor, reverence, esteem, and/or nobility. Therefore, you can also define this as an honorable heart, reverent heart, noble heart, etc.

In ancient times, it was thought your brain was the heart in your chest. Therefore, 心 or heart can also mean “mind.” Hence, 尊敬心 can also be translated as respectful mind, honorable mind, etc.

You'll see 尊敬心 romanized as Sonkeishin or Sonkeshin from Japanese.