handwriting; penmanship; calligraphic work
Refers to the physical traces of writing, often with an artistic or historical connotation. Used for both everyday handwriting and valued calligraphic pieces.
This letter shows his handwriting well.
I appreciated old calligraphic works at the museum.
書道 refers to the art or discipline of calligraphy, while 書跡 refers to the resulting written works themselves.
Standard modern spelling for calligraphic works or handwriting.
Contains outdated kanji 蹟; still encountered in older texts or formal contexts.
Compound of 書 (writing) and 跡 (trace, mark). The alternative form 書蹟 uses the older character 蹟, which has the same meaning as 跡.