The kanji 枯 means "to wither," "to dry up," or "to become dead." It conveys the idea of something losing its vitality, becoming lifeless, or drying out due to a lack of water or life force. This kanji often implies a state of being dried, withered, or dead, typically in the context of plants or other living things.

・On-yomi (音読み): コ (ko) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): か（れる） (ka(reru)) - to wither, か（らす） (ka(rasu)) - to wither (transitive verb)

⚫︎枯れ木 Translation: a withered tree ⚫︎枯葉 Translation: fallen leaves (withered leaves) ⚫︎枯渇 (kokatsu) Translation: exhaustion, depletion (of resources)

The kanji 枯 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). ⚫︎ The semantic component is 木 (ki), meaning "tree" or "wood". ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 古 (ko), which provides the sound. ⚫︎ The combination suggests a tree or plant that has become dried up or withered, represented by the "wood" radical and the sound element.