踪 meaning and stroke order
Footprints, traces, tracks
How to write 踪, stroke by stroke
15 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 踪
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) footprint; trace; tracks
- variant of 蹤|踪[zong1]
How 踪 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 宗 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 踪
The foot radical 足 on the left tells you this is about feet, and 宗 (zōng) on the right gives the sound. Picture feet leaving a trail you can follow, and the trail says zōng.
踪 is a bound form, so it almost always appears inside words like 失踪 (shīzōng), 跟踪 (gēnzōng), 追踪 (zhuīzōng) and 踪迹 (zōngjì). It is common in news and stories about missing people or tracking something. Example: 那个孩子失踪了三天。(Nà ge háizi shīzōng le sān tiān.) That child was missing for three days.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 示 or confuse 踪 with 综 (zōng, as in 综合 zōnghé), which has the silk radical 纟 and means to combine. If the meaning is about tracks or following someone, use the foot radical 足.
Common words with 踪
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 失踪 | shīzōng | to be missing; to disappear | HSK 7-9 |
| 跟踪 | gēnzōng | to follow sb's tracks; to tail | HSK 7-9 |
| 追踪 | zhuīzōng | to track; to trace; to follow up; (HK, Tw) to follow (on social media) | HSK 7-9 |
| 行踪 | xíngzōng | whereabouts; (lose) track (of) | |
| 踪迹 | zōngjì | tracks; trail | |
| 无影无踪 | wúyǐngwúzōng | (idiom) (to disappear) without a trace | |
| 踪影 | zōngyǐng | trace; vestige | |
| 无踪 | wúzōng | (to vanish) without a trace | |
| 跟踪器 | gēnzōngqì | tracker (device) |
踪 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 踪
How many strokes are in 踪?
踪 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 踪 mean?
踪 (zōng) means footprints, traces, tracks. A common word with it is 失踪 (shīzōng), meaning "to be missing; to disappear".
How do you pronounce 踪?
踪 is pronounced zōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 踪?
The radical of 踪 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 踪 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 踪?
The traditional form of 踪 is 蹤. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 踪 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 踪 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 踪 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 跟踪 and 追踪?
跟踪 (gēnzōng) usually means secretly following or tailing a person. 追踪 (zhuīzōng) is broader and can mean tracking a target, a package, or following up on an issue.
How do I use 无影无踪 in a sentence?
It describes something vanishing completely, usually after a verb like 消失 or 跑得. For example, 小偷跑得无影无踪。(Xiǎotōu pǎo de wúyǐngwúzōng.) The thief ran off without a trace.