How to Write 踪 (zōng) — Meaning “trace; track; footprint”

Imagine a foot (足) leaving footprints at an ancestor's temple (宗), creating a trace you can follow. The "ancestor" part helps you recall that 踪 is about tracking something from the past. This visual connects the left and right parts into a simple scene.

Write the left radical 足 first, making sure the bottom part 止 has three horizontal strokes and the last stroke is a short leftward hook (㇂). The right part 宗 starts with the roof 宀, then write 示 (two horizontal strokes, a small left stroke, a dot, and a bottom horizontal). Keep the two sections balanced — 足 is slightly wider, while 宗 is more compact.

踪 (trace) has the right side 宗 (ancestor), while 跟 (to follow) has 艮 (gèn, meaning "stop" or "heel") — 跟 emphasizes following behind. 䠀 (tǎng) is very rare and means "to tread" or "stagger"; its right side is 尚 (shàng). Visually, 踪's right part 宗 has a dot above and a small 示, whereas 跟's 艮 has no dot and a simpler shape.

踪 appears in common words like 失踪 (to go missing), 跟踪 (to track or follow), and 踪影 (trace or sign). You often see 失踪 in news about missing people, and 跟踪 in contexts of surveillance or chasing. A cultural note: 踪影 is frequently used in negative sentences, e.g., 不见踪影 (no trace to be seen).

Common words containing 踪 include: 失踪 (shī zōng) — to go missing / to disappear; 跟踪 (gēn zōng) — to track; 踪影 (zōng yǐng) — trace; sign; vestige.