also: じゅうか
noun
heavy load; heavy burden; heavy freight
Concrete use for something physically heavy that is carried, borne, or transported. The reading おもに is the ordinary one; じゅうか is much less common and sounds more technical or freight-related.
馬は重荷を背負って山道を進んだ。
The horse went along the mountain path carrying a heavy load.
noun
heavy responsibility; mental burden; encumbrance
Only with reading おもに
Figurative use for a responsibility, obligation, worry, or relationship that feels emotionally or practically oppressive. Common in patterns such as 重荷になる and 重荷を背負う.
家族を養う責任が、彼には大きな重荷だった。
The responsibility of supporting his family was a heavy burden for him.
その約束は彼女の重荷になっていた。
That promise had become a burden to her.
A more general word for a burden, load, cost, or responsibility; 重荷 emphasizes that the burden feels especially heavy or oppressive.
Refers neutrally to luggage, baggage, or goods; 重荷 specifically means a heavy load or a burden.
Means responsibility itself; it becomes 重荷 when it is felt as a heavy burden.
A transparent compound of 重い／重, meaning heavy, and 荷, meaning load or baggage. The common reading おもに reflects a native-style reading, while じゅうか is an on-yomi reading.