衝 （ショウ） important point (e.g. on a route), important role (responsibility, etc.), opposition

衝撃 （ショウゲキ） shock, impact, crash

要衝 （ヨウショウ） important point, strategic position, key point

緩衝 （カンショウ） buffered

突く （つく） to prick, to stab, to poke, to prod, to push, to thrust, to nudge, to hit, to strike, to use (a cane), to prop oneself up with, to press against (the floor, etc.), to attack, to brave (the rain, etc.)

衝羽根 （つくばね） Buckleya lanceolata (species of parasitic deciduous shrub)