形けい跡せき

け

い

せ

き

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Refers to visible or inferable signs that something happened or existed. Common in patterns such as 形跡がある, 形跡がない, and 形跡を残す.

ドアにはこじ開あけられた形けい跡せきがあった。
There were signs that the door had been forced open.
彼かれがその書しょ類るいを読よんだ形けい跡せきはない。
There is no evidence that he read the document.

See all 21 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉した形けい跡せきがあるthere are signs that something happened
部屋へやには誰だれかが侵しん入にゅうした形けい跡せきがあった。
There were signs that someone had broken into the room.
形けい跡せきを残のこすto leave a trace or sign behind
犯はん人にんは現げん場ばに形けい跡せきを残のこさなかった。
The culprit left no trace at the scene.
形けい跡せきがないthere is no sign that something happened
荒あらされた形けい跡せきはまったくない。
There is no sign at all that it was ransacked.
形けい跡せきを消けすto erase or remove traces of something
彼かれはパソコンのデータから形けい跡せきを消けした。
He erased the traces from the computer data.

Kanji

形shape, form, style
跡tracks, mark, print

Related words

痕こん跡せき
痕跡 emphasizes a lingering physical mark or remnant, while 形跡 is broader and can refer to any inferable sign that something occurred.
証しょう拠こN2
証拠 means concrete evidence or proof used in argument or investigation, whereas 形跡 is a subtler sign from which one merely infers what happened.
跡あとN3
跡 is the plain, everyday word for a mark or trace, while 形跡 is more formal and often used for signs that let one deduce a past event.

Don't confuse with

軌き跡せき
軌跡 (a near-homophone) means the path or trajectory something has traced, not a sign of a past event like 形跡.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound written with 形, associated with form or shape, and 跡, associated with traces or marks left behind. The spelling transparently matches the modern meaning.