How to Write 痕 (hén) — Meaning “mark; trace; scar”

Imagine a sick person (疒) who has a scar that looks like a little root (艮, which resembles a plant root). The scar is a lasting mark, like a root that is hard to remove. This picture helps you recall that 痕 means "mark" or "trace."

Write the radical 疒 first: dot, left-falling, horizontal, left-falling, dot. Then the right part 艮: left-falling, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, left-falling, right-falling — but note the final strokes are like a hook. A common mistake is making the left-falling of 疒 too short, so the whole character looks unbalanced; keep it long enough to cover the left side.

疣 (yóu) means a wart, a small growth on the skin, while 疤 (bā) specifically refers to a raised scar after healing. In contrast, 痕 is a broader term for any mark, trace, or scar, including scratches, bruises, or stains. Visually, 痕 uses 艮 inside, while 疣 uses 尤 and 疤 uses 巴.

痕 is common in daily Chinese for physical marks like 伤痕 (shāng hén, scar) and 痕迹 (hén jì, trace). It also appears in poetic phrases like 泪痕 (lèi hén, tear stains), which describe emotional traces. Despite not being in HSK, it is useful for describing everyday marks or memories.

Common words containing 痕 include: 伤痕 (shāng hén) — Scar or bruise.; 痕迹 (hén jì) — trace; mark; 泪痕 (lèi hén) — Tear stains.