Refers to physical or historical traces left behind by past events or people; often used in formal or written contexts.
Traces of an ancient civilization were discovered at this site.
彼の足取りの事跡を追って、警察は犯人を特定した。
Following the traces of his footsteps, the police identified the culprit.
痕跡 is more concrete and often refers to physical marks or remains, while 事跡 emphasizes the evidential aspect of past events.
形跡 also means 'trace' but is more commonly used for signs or indications of something having happened, often in negative contexts (形跡がない).
Standard kanji form for 'evidence/trace of past events'.
Variant using 蹟 (footprint/trace); less common but still encountered.
Rarely used kanji form.
Compound of 事 (thing, matter) and 跡 (trace, mark). The variant 蹟 is a specialized character for 'footprint/trace'.