How to Write 耗 (hào) — Meaning “To consume; to waste”

Imagine a plow (耒) trying to cut through a patch of thick fur (毛), which costs a lot of energy and time. This visual of the plow struggling against the fur helps you remember that 耗 means to consume or use up. Think of it as "the plow wastes energy on the fur."

Write the left radical 耒 first: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, then a short slash (撇) and a dot (捺) — but note 耒 ends with a left-slanting stroke and a right-falling stroke. Then add 毛 on the right: a short horizontal, then a long horizontal, then a left-slanting stroke, and finally a curved hook (竖弯钩). A common mistake is making the right side 毛 too wide; keep it narrow so 耗 stays balanced.

耗 means to consume or waste, while 耔 (zǐ) refers to applying fertilizer to the roots of crops, and 耕 (gēng) means to plow or till the soil. Visually, 耗 has 毛 on the right, 耔 has 子 (child), and 耕 has 井 (well) on the right. In usage, 耗 is about using up resources, whereas 耔 and 耕 are directly related to farming actions.

耗 appears in everyday words like 消耗 (to consume), 耗电 (power consumption), and 耗时 (time-consuming). It is frequently used in discussions of energy, time, and resources. A cultural note: in Chinese idioms like 耗子尾汁 (rat tail juice), from a viral video, 耗子 (hàozi) means mouse, but that usage is colloquial and unrelated to the character's core meaning of waste.

Common words containing 耗 include: 消耗 (xiāo hào) — to consume; to use up; 耗电 (hào diàn) — Power-consuming; electricity consumption; 耗时 (hào shí) — Time-consuming.