How to Write 跖 (zhí) — Meaning “sole of the foot”

Imagine stepping on a sharp stone (石) with the sole of your foot (足) — that painful feeling helps you recall 跖 means "sole." The connection between a stone under your foot and the plantar surface makes it easy to visualize.

Pay attention to the left radical 足: the bottom stroke changes from a horizontal line to a rightward flick (like a curved stroke) when used as a radical. The right part 石 should be balanced vertically, with the opening at its top-left corner aligning with the middle of the foot radical.

跖 uses the foot radical 足 and means "sole," while 趵 (bào) also uses 足 but means "to kick" or "to tread," and has 勺 on the right. 趸 (dǔn) has a different radical (足 on top) and means "wholesale" or "a large quantity," with 豕 underneath — visually very distinct from 跖.

跖 is a technical term mainly found in medical or anatomical contexts, such as 跖骨 (metatarsal) and 跖疣 (plantar wart). It is not used in everyday conversation, so learners rarely encounter it outside of biology or podiatry texts.

Common words containing 跖 include: 跖骨 (zhí gǔ) — metatarsal bone; 跖面 (zhí miàn) — plantar surface; sole; 跖疣 (zhí yóu) — plantar wart.