痕跡

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 痕跡 is read こんせき and denotes a trace showing that a person, animal, object, or event was previously present.
• Basic usage: A clause can identify the source, as in 野生動物が通った痕跡, and 痕跡を見つける marks the trace as what is found.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A remaining trace
  • In 建物の痕跡が残っていた, the trace of the former building is the subject and takes が. It does not mean that an intact building remained.
• 痕跡 and 跡
  • 跡(あと) can broadly denote marks, sites, and other remains. 痕跡 has a relatively formal, analytical focus on evidence of a previous presence or event.
• Source and evidence
  • 野生動物が通った explains what produced the trace. It does not state that the animal itself was directly seen.