蹤 meaning and stroke order
Footprints, traces, tracks
How to write 蹤, stroke by stroke
18 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 蹤
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) footprint; trace; tracks
How 蹤 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Foot.
足 gives the meaning and 從 hints at the sound.
Radical: 足 (foot), shared by 119 characters on this site.
How to remember 蹤
蹤 combines 足 (foot) with 從 (cóng, to follow), which also hints at the sound. Picture following someone's feet and you get footprints and tracks.
蹤 is a bound form, so it appears inside words like 失蹤 (shīzōng, to go missing), 跟蹤 (gēnzōng, to tail) and 蹤跡 (zōngjì, traces). Example: 他突然失蹤了。(Tā tūrán shīzōng le.) He suddenly disappeared.
Common mistake: Learners often read it as cóng because of the 從 part, but the tone is first tone: zōng. Also note that word lists often show the simplified form 踪, where the right side is 宗 instead of 從.
Common words with 蹤
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 失蹤 | shīzōng | to be missing; to disappear | HSK 7-9 |
| 跟蹤 | gēnzōng | to follow sb's tracks; to tail | HSK 7-9 |
| 追蹤 | zhuīzōng | to track; to trace; to follow up; (HK, Tw) to follow (on social media) | HSK 7-9 |
| 行蹤 | xíngzōng | whereabouts; (lose) track (of) | |
| 蹤跡 | zōngjì | tracks; trail | |
| 無影無蹤 | wúyǐngwúzōng | (idiom) (to disappear) without a trace | |
| 蹤影 | zōngyǐng | trace; vestige | |
| 無蹤 | wúzōng | (to vanish) without a trace | |
| 跟蹤器 | gēnzōngqì | tracker (device) |
Questions about 蹤
How many strokes are in 蹤?
蹤 is written with 18 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 蹤 mean?
蹤 (zōng) means footprints, traces, tracks. A common word with it is 失踪 (shīzōng), meaning "to be missing; to disappear".
How do you pronounce 蹤?
蹤 is pronounced zōng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 蹤?
The radical of 蹤 is 足, which carries the idea of "foot". Dictionaries list 蹤 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 蹤?
蹤 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 踪, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 跟蹤 and 追蹤?
跟蹤 (gēnzōng) usually means to secretly follow or tail a person. 追蹤 (zhuīzōng) means to track or trace something, such as a package, a case, or a story, and is more neutral.
How do I say something vanished without a trace?
Use the idiom 無影無蹤 (wúyǐngwúzōng), as in 他跑得無影無蹤 (tā pǎo de wúyǐngwúzōng), he ran off without a trace. The shorter 無蹤 (wúzōng) is also used in writing.