Japanese | Word of the day

Hello friends,
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Long time, no see. Apologies for the extended absence. Your boy was going through some things(some of which, remain to be resolved). However, thats neither here nor there. I decided today would be a good day to return to my habit of exploring random Japanese words I consider interesting. Today's choice is a complicated one, inspired by various personal, political, and social events. For the sake of not being so esoteric, lets focus on the demonstrations that have plagued Hong Kong for the past 3 months. I won't go into too much detail regarding Carrie Lam's proposed extradition bill, but if you are interested in learning more, feel free to checkout Asian Boss's video below.

In any-case, these protesters are vehemently opposed to the use of force by the Hong Kong police department, even resorting to violence in cases of self-defense. Therefore, I have decided today's word is "抵抗/ていこう/teikou・resistance", so lets breakdown these kanji.

抵抗

• 抵/てい/tei - resist
• 抗/こう/kou - resist or anti-(prefix)

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As you can see, this word contains 2 separate kanji with roughly the same meaning. While some may find this to be a nuisance, I personally find this to be a blessing in disguise. Due to the number of instances in which either character may appear in combination with others, it increases the probability of understanding the general meaning of a previously unknown word. This happens to be the case for the latter half of "抵抗", (抗), since it functions as a prefix for many words such as:

抗議・Protest　抗菌・Antibacterial　抗争・Dispute　抗うつ剤・Antidepressant

On the other hand, the former half of "抵抗", (抵), is much more complicated, hence why it might be considered a nuisance. However, to be fair, its alternative uses could loosely be associated with ideas that are functionally "contrary" to a person's interest, as in:

抵触・Inconsistent/Contradictory 抵当・Mortgage 抵当流れ・Foreclosure 副抵当・Collateral security

I think its cool that these symbols can be packed with so much meaning, both static and fluid. Are you able to reconcile the slight nuances between the two kanji introduced at the top of the post? Can you see how they might differ in use depending on the context given in their alternative examples? Are there words in your native language you feel may be redundant or obsolete? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. As always, don't forget to like and share this post~ 
Until next time,
Peace