耗 means “wear down, consume”

もう · mou

Also: decrease

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

モウ, コウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

A plow (耒) beside fur (毛): picture a plow handle worn as smooth as fur by years of hands. 耗 is wearing away: 消耗 is being used up or worn out, 消耗品 are supplies like printer ink, and 摩耗 is wear and tear.

Used in 消耗 (shoumou, exhaustion/consumption), 消耗品 (shoumouhin, consumables), and 摩耗 (mamou, wear and tear)

More from Grow & Wane

• 勃 sudden rise
• 展 unfold
• 張 stretch
• 拡 expand
• 盛 heap up
• 興 interest
• 縮 shrink
• 充 fill
• 隆 rise
• 茂 grow thick
• 繁 thriving
• 尽 run out

Learn 耗 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.