loss · damage

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 損 has 13 strokes and the on-reading そん. 損なう (そこなう) means to damage; 損失 (そんしつ) denotes a loss.
• Basic usage: 損なう can describe damaging color or trust; 損失 covers losses from damaged goods and lost data.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Damage and loss
  • 紙の色を損なった means damaging the paper's color. 信頼を損なう means impairing trust; neither necessarily implies that everything has disappeared.
  • 商品の破損による損失 means losses caused by damaged goods; データの損失 means data loss. 損失 is not limited to financial losses.