King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “trace”

Romaji: ato
trace; tracks; mark; sign

In Japanese, trace is , read (ato).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. n trace; tracks; mark; sign
  2. n site; remains; ruins
  3. n scar

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

tracks, mark, print
on: セキ
kun: あと
13 strokes · JLPT 1

Other Japanese words for “trace”

WordReadingMeaning
こんせき konsekitrace; vestige; mark
かげ kagetrace; shadow (of one's former self)
け kesign; indication; trace
あとかた atokatatrace; vestige; evidence
うつす utsusuto copy; to duplicate; to reproduce

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
あしあと ashiatofootprints
きせき kisekimiracle; wonder; marvel
いせき iseki(archeological) remains; ruins; relics
ついせき tsuisekichase; pursuit; tracking
きせき kisekitire track
こんせき konsekitrace; vestige; mark

See also: Chinese symbol for “trace”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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