"Choufuku"? "Juufuku"?

Question
Please tell me the difference between the readings "choufuku" and "juufuku" for the word "重複" (overlap/duplication).

The kanji "重" has two main meanings: "heavy" (omoi) and "to overlap" (kasanaru). In Chinese, the pronunciation is distinguished based on these meanings: the former is "zhòng" and the latter is "chóng".

On the other hand, in Japanese, both readings "juu" and "chou" exist for both meanings. The former is simply the Go-on reading and the latter is the Kan-on reading; it is not a distinction based on meaning. Therefore, the issue becomes which one has been used longer as a matter of convention.

It is presumed that the reading "juufuku" has existed since the Meiji era. In the reportage "Sai-ankoku no Tokyo" (The Darkest Tokyo) by Iwagoro Matsubara, published in 1893 (Meiji 26), there is a passage that includes the furigana reading "jiufuku".

Many of the brokers working as intermediaries for second-hand dealers are generally merchants who have failed andoverlapped (jiufuku)and are like fallen warriors... (15)

However, during the Meiji and Taisho eras, "choufuku" seems to have been considered the normative reading. "Genkai," considered the first Japanese dictionary published in 1891 (Meiji 24), does not contain "jiufuku" and only lists the entry for "choufuku."

Furthermore, the "Dai Nihon Kokugo Jiten" (Great Japanese Dictionary), a representative modern Japanese dictionary first published in 1915 (Taisho 4), also only lists the entry for "choufuku."

Looking at the Muromachi period volume of the "Jidaibetsu Kokugo Daijiten" (Comprehensive Dictionary of the Japanese Language by Period) published by Sanseido, only "choufuku" appears in the entries. Moreover, the entry for "choufuku" cites an example of "重覆 (choufuku)" from the "Hirobon Setsuyoshu" (circa 1474), a dictionary from the medieval to early modern period.

From the above, it can be said that "choufuku" is the traditional reading that has continued since the medieval period. "Juufuku" is a relatively new reading that appeared after the Meiji era, and it is fair to say that it gradually gained acceptance among the public after the start of the Showa era.

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