Usage patterns 足あし 取ど りが 軽かる い to have a light, brisk gait
His gait was light after winning the match.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 足あし 取ど りをつかむ to grasp/pin down someone's movements or trail
The police are trying to pin down the escaped suspect's movements.
足あし 取ど りが 重おも い to have a heavy, sluggish gait
Maybe he was tired—his steps were heavy.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 足あし 取ど りを 追お う to trace/follow someone's movements
The detective traced the missing person's movements.
足あし 取ど りが 乱みだ れる for one's steps to become unsteady
He was drunk and his steps were unsteady.
Kanji 足 leg, foot, be sufficient Related words· 8 歩き方 is the general, neutral term for how someone walks, while 足取り often implies a specific rhythm, pace, or emotional nuance in the walk.
跡 refers to physical marks or traces left behind, whereas 足取り in the tracking sense emphasizes the inferred route or movements of a person.
足並み usually describes the pace of a group walking together (as in 足並みを揃える ), while 足取り describes an individual's manner of walking.
行方 refers to a person's unknown destination or current whereabouts, while 足取り refers to the traceable route or movements they have already made.
Show 4 more Show fewer 歩調 focuses narrowly on the rhythm or speed of steps, often in the context of walking in step with others, while 足取り covers the broader style and feeling of someone's walk.
足取り refers to someone's gait or the trail of their footsteps, while 運び (as in 足の運び ) focuses specifically on the manner or technique of stepping.
足取り emphasizes the manner or condition of one's steps (e.g. unsteady, brisk), whereas 歩み is a more literary, general word for walking or pace.
足元 (in its gait sense) describes the steadiness of one's steps, while 足取り focuses on the manner or trace of one's walking.
Don't confuse with 足跡 refers to the actual physical footprints left on the ground, while 足取り refers to the inferred path or sequence of movements a person has taken, as in an investigation.
足取り describes the manner or way someone walks (gait), whereas 足並み focuses on the rhythm/pace and especially on coordination among multiple walkers.
Written forms 足あし 取ど り Usage 65%
Standard kanji spelling; high frequency in news and general use.
足あし どり Usage 35%
Mixed kana spelling sometimes used for readability or in less formal contexts.
Etymology Compound of 足 (foot) and 取り (taking, from 取る ). The literal sense of 'foot-taking' developed into both 'gait' and 'tracking someone's steps'.
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