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耗 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
耗hàoto wasteHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàoto spendHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàoto consumeHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàoto squanderHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàonewsHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hào(coll.) to delayHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàoto dilly-dallyHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
耗hàoto consume, to use up; to squander, to wasteHSK 7, v, 10 strokes, radical 耒, rank #7922, Hard
hào(hao4) T4
  1. 1to waste
  2. 2to spend
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
耗hào(hao4)

The character 耗 (hào) primarily means 'to waste' or 'to consume.' It is often used in contexts relating to the expenditure of resources, such as time or money. In informal usage, it can also imply procrastination or dilly-dallying, indicating a sense of inefficiency or squandering potential.

Strokes10Radical耒Frequency#7922DifficultyHard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, efficiency is highly valued, and the concept of wasting time or resources is often criticized. The idea of being '耗' can reflect poorly on one's character in both personal and professional settings.

Memory Tip

Picture a person wasting time by dilly-dallying instead of completing tasks. The radical 耗 resembles a person who has thrown away precious resources, and the pronunciation 'hào' can sound like 'how,' as in 'How much are you wasting?' This visual and auditory connection reinforces the concept of wastefulness.

Meanings of 耗

hào(hao4)
1to waste
2to spend
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 耗

耗Simplified
10Strokes
耒Radical
动词dòngcíverb (v.)Part of Speech
#7922Frequency Rank
HSK 3.0L7AdvancedCEFRC2

Podcast: 耗

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Podcast: 耗

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AI Study Notes for 耗

Quick Contrast

消耗 (xiāohào) vs 耗 (hào): use 耗 when emphasizing wastefulness or inefficiency, while 消耗 focuses more on the process of consumption or expenditure.

Memory Mnemonic

Picture a person wasting time by dilly-dallying instead of completing tasks. The radical 耗 resembles a person who has thrown away precious resources, and the pronunciation 'hào' can sound like 'how,' as in 'How much are you wasting?' This visual and auditory connection reinforces the concept of wastefulness.

Usage Notes

Be careful not to confuse 耗 (hào) with similar-sounding characters like 好 (hǎo), which means 'good.' This word is more common in informal contexts where procrastination is discussed. Common collocations include 耗费 (hàofèi, to waste expenditure) and 耗时 (hàoshí, to take time).

HSK Study Tips

Although 耗 is not currently included in the HSK vocabulary lists, it relates to other HSK words about consumption, such as 消费 (xiāofèi, to consume). Students at this level should focus on understanding its usage in both formal and informal contexts.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, efficiency is highly valued, and the concept of wasting time or resources is often criticized. The idea of being '耗' can reflect poorly on one's character in both personal and professional settings.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 耗 with similar-sounding words. For example, saying '我不想耗时间' (wǒ bù xiǎng hào shíjiān) is correct, but confusing it with 好 (hǎo) might lead to saying '我不想好时间,' which is incorrect.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 耗

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Etymology of 耗

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 耒 represents the meaning and 毛 represents the sound.

Memory Hint

plow

Semantic (meaning)耒
+
Phonetic (sound)毛
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 耗?

Decomposition of 耗

IDS Structure⿰耒毛
耗Full Character
=
耒lei3
left
毛Mao2
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 耗?

Write 耗

耗

Practice writing 耗 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 耗

耗 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 8 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 4

Complete the Sentence

新的购物中心____资110万建成。

The new shopping centre was constructed at a cost of 1 million.

Example Sentences for 耗 (10)

Listen to all sentences once to receive XP
1
新的购物中心耗资110万建成。

xīn de gòu wù zhōng xīn hào zī110 110 wàn jiàn。

The new shopping centre was constructed at a cost of 1 million.
2
并不是他们把全球的资源耗费殆尽的。

bìng bù shì tā mén bǎ quán qiú de zī yuán hào fèi dài jìn de。

It isn't them who use up the world's resources.
3
公司耗资数千购买了一套电子订单管理系统。

gōng sī hào zī shù qiān gòu mǎi le yī tào diàn zǐ dìng dān guǎn lǐ xì tǒng。

The company invested thousands in an electronic order-control system.
4
翻新和粉刷总共耗时4个月。

fān xīn hé fěn shuā zǒng gòng hào shí4 4 gè。

The renovation process and decoration took four months.
5
随着年龄的增加，人在消耗体力时心脏的输血能力和输血速度会有所减弱。

suí zháo nián líng de zēng jiā， ， rén zài xiāo hào tǐ lì shí xīn zāng de shū xiě néng lì hé shū xiě sù dù huì yǒu suǒ jiǎn。

Age diminishes the heart's ability to pump harder and faster under exertion.
6
这将会改善你的表现，并帮你消耗卡路里。

zhè jiāng huì gǎi shàn nǐ de biǎo xiàn， ， bìng bāng nǐ xiāo hào kǎ lù。

This will improve your performance and help you burn off calories.
7
坦克要耗费大量的燃料，而且会破坏道路。

tǎn kè yào hào fèi dà liáng de rán liào， ， ér qiě huì pò huài dào。

Tanks are heavy on fuel and destructive to roads.
8
快走比慢跑能消耗更多的热量。

kuài zǒu bǐ màn pǎo néng xiāo hào gēng duō de rè liáng。

Brisk walking burns up more calories than slow jogging.
9
国防耗去40%的预算。

guó fáng hào qù40% 40% de yù。

Defence soaks up forty per cent of the budget.
10
耗资数百万去生产一些不需要的食品，真是令人发指。

hào zī shù bǎi wàn qù shēng chǎn yī xiē bù xū yào de shí pǐn， ， zhēn shì líng rén fā。

It was obscene to spend millions producing unwanted food.

Cultural Notes for 耗

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, efficiency is highly valued, and the concept of wasting time or resources is often criticized. The idea of being '耗' can reflect poorly on one's character in both personal and professional settings.

Word Family of 耗

Words Containing This Character20
消耗xiāohàoto use up
耗hàoto waste
耗子rat
耗尽to exhaust耗盡
耗费hàofèito waste耗費
油耗fuel consumption
损耗wear and tear損耗
耗资to spend耗資
噩耗grievous news
耗时hàoshítime-consuming耗時
功耗power wastage
消耗量rate of consumption
内耗internal friction內耗
耗油量fuel consumption
耗损to waste耗損
低耗low consumption (energy, fuel etc)
耗散to dissipate
磨耗wear and tear
消耗战war of attrition消耗戰
耗材consumables
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 消耗 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 耗

耗 (hào) generally refers to wasting or spending resources, while 消耗 (xiāohào) specifically means to consume or exhaust resources.