摩擦 (mócā): friction (physical)

Meanings

Rubbing and wiping — physical friction or interpersonal conflict.

Liǎng guó zhī jiān chǎnshēng le mócā.

Friction arose between the two countries.

Mócā huì chǎnshēng rèliàng.

Friction generates heat.

Tóngshì zhī jiān nánmiǎn yǒu xiē mócā.

It's inevitable to have some friction between colleagues.

usage

摩擦 works for both physics (friction force = 摩擦力) and interpersonal conflict. 贸易摩擦 (màoyì mócā) = trade friction, a common news term.

摩 mó

擦 cā