Trace in Different Languages
Discover 'Trace' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'trace' holds a wealth of significance and cultural importance across the globe. Derived from the Old French 'tracier,' meaning 'to draw, drag', a 'trace' can refer to a mark, line, or indication left by something that has passed. This concept is universal, yet the word's translation varies, reflecting the richness of linguistic and cultural diversity.
Traces have played a crucial role in our understanding of history. For instance, ancient Indigenous Australian art often depicts human handprints, serving as a 'trace' of their presence and stories. In a similar vein, Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese oracle bone script provide invaluable 'traces&' of their respective civilizations.
Given the global interest in language and culture, knowing the translation of 'trace' in different languages can be enlightening. For example, in Spanish, it's 'rastro', in German 'Spur', in French 'trace', in Hindi 'अट्ठाई' (aathai), in Japanese '跡' (ato), and in Russian 'след' (sled).
Explore the various translations of 'trace' below and enrich your cultural and linguistic repertoire!
Trace
Trace in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | opspoor | ||
| The term "opspoor" can also refer to the spoor left behind by an animal or person. | |||
| Amharic | ዱካ | ||
| "ዱካ" (trace) is derived from the root "ዶክ" (to follow) and has similar meanings in languages like Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish. | |||
| Hausa | alama | ||
| Hausa "alama" can also mean "footprint," "mark," or "sign." | |||
| Igbo | chọpụta | ||
| The Igbo word 'Chọpụta' also denotes 'to come across', 'to discover', or 'to find'. | |||
| Malagasy | soritry | ||
| The word "soritry" is of Malay origin and can also mean "mark" or "sign". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kufufuza | ||
| The word 'kufufuza' can also mean 'to search' or 'to investigate' in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | trace | ||
| In Shona, 'trace' can also refer to a 'sign' or 'mark' left behind by someone or something, or a 'path' or 'trail' that leads to something. | |||
| Somali | raad | ||
| In Northern Somali, 'raad' also refers to a footprint, while in Southern Somali, it specifically denotes the hoofprint of a camel or cow. | |||
| Sesotho | trace | ||
| Sesotho word "trace" can also mean a thin line, crease, or groove. | |||
| Swahili | kuwaeleza | ||
| The word 'kuwaeleza' in Swahili also means to explain or interpret. | |||
| Xhosa | trace | ||
| The Xhosa noun 'umkhondo' has the same root as the English word 'trace', referring to a footprint or path. | |||
| Yoruba | wa kakiri | ||
| "Wa kakiri" can also mean to be exhausted or finished. | |||
| Zulu | ukulandelela | ||
| The word "ukulandelela" in Zulu shares its root with "ulandelo", meaning "progenitor" or "ancestor", suggesting a connection between tracing and genealogy. | |||
| Bambara | ka nɔ bɔ | ||
| Ewe | ti eyome | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ibisobanuro | ||
| Lingala | elembo | ||
| Luganda | okuziga | ||
| Sepedi | latelela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | di akyire | ||
Trace in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | أثر | ||
| The Arabic word 'أثر' (trace) shares its root with the word 'اثر' (to do), suggesting a connection between the physical evidence of an action and the action itself. | |||
| Hebrew | זֵכֶר | ||
| The word 'זֵכֶר' in Hebrew can also mean 'male' or 'memory', depending on its context. | |||
| Pashto | ټریس | ||
| The Pashto word ټریس is derived from French, which is also used as a verb meaning to forge a horse or to draw a horse back on its hind legs with its head down. | |||
| Arabic | أثر | ||
| The Arabic word 'أثر' (trace) shares its root with the word 'اثر' (to do), suggesting a connection between the physical evidence of an action and the action itself. | |||
Trace in Western European Languages
| Albanian | gjurmë | ||
| "Gjurmë" comes from Proto-Albanian and has cognates in other Paleo-Balkan languages, such as Dacian "dzurma" | |||
| Basque | arrastoa | ||
| The Basque word "arrastoa" means "trace" in English, and is related to the verb "arrai" ("to pursue"). | |||
| Catalan | rastre | ||
| The noun "rastre" in Catalan comes from the French "rastre" that means "scent, footprint". The verb "rastrejar" comes from the Latin "rastru" (rake). | |||
| Croatian | trag | ||
| The Slavic word "trag" also means "scent" and "path". | |||
| Danish | spor | ||
| "Spor" means 'leg' in Russian and 'seed' in Latin. | |||
| Dutch | spoor | ||
| Dutch "spoor" means "trace" but also "railway track," and it stems from Middle Dutch "spor," "footprint, vestige," and Old Dutch "spōr," "track, trail, path, course," and is related to the German "spüren," "to search for," and "spur," "track, trace." | |||
| English | trace | ||
| "Trace" comes from the Old French "tracer", meaning "to follow a path" or "to draw a line", and is related to the word "track". | |||
| French | trace | ||
| The French word "trace" can also mean "mark", "line", or "path". | |||
| Frisian | trace | ||
| The Frisian word "trace" also means "a small amount" or "a little bit". | |||
| Galician | traza | ||
| The word "traza" can also refer to a path or a plan of action in Galician. | |||
| German | spur | ||
| The German word "Spur" can also mean "track" or "trail" in the sense of a path or route. | |||
| Icelandic | rekja | ||
| Rekja, meaning 'trace', also refers to the smell of a person or animal, and the 'smell' of a place. | |||
| Irish | rian | ||
| "Rian" is an Irish word with multiple meanings, including "path," "track," "mark," and "sign. | |||
| Italian | traccia | ||
| "Traccia" can mean both "trace" and "track," as in a music track or a sports track. | |||
| Luxembourgish | spuer | ||
| In medieval French, the word "espoor" meant both "trace" and "hope", a meaning kept in the Luxembourgish dialect but lost in French | |||
| Maltese | traċċa | ||
| The word "traċċa" can also mean "trail" or "path" in Maltese. | |||
| Norwegian | spor | ||
| The word "spor" is also used as a term for a railway track | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | vestígio | ||
| The verb origin of "vestígio" is the "vestigiatus", which can be interpreted as both a footprint as an investigation result. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | lorg | ||
| Also used, in the plural, to mean 'the traces of harnessed animals' | |||
| Spanish | rastro | ||
| Rastros's other meanings include "slaughterhouse," perhaps due to the "trail" of blood left behind after animals were slaughtered. | |||
| Swedish | spår | ||
| The Swedish word "spår" has multiple meanings, including "track", "trace", "railway track", and "scent". | |||
| Welsh | olrhain | ||
| The Welsh word "olrhain" also means "footstep" or "path". | |||
Trace in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | след | ||
| The word "след" in Belarusian comes from the Proto-Slavic word *следъ, meaning "path, track, or footprint." | |||
| Bosnian | trag | ||
| The word "trag" can also refer to a wooden pole, a sled, a stretcher, or a cart with two wheels. | |||
| Bulgarian | проследяване | ||
| The noun 'проследяване' can also refer to 'tracking' someone's activities or 'following' a suspect. | |||
| Czech | stopa | ||
| "Stopa" also means "foot" in Czech, derived from the Old Czech word "stąpъ" meaning "to step". | |||
| Estonian | jälg | ||
| The word "jälg" in Estonian is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *jälke, meaning "path" or "track". | |||
| Finnish | jäljittää | ||
| "Jäljittää" contains the word "jälki", meaning "footprint", suggesting the idea of following a trail or path to uncover something. | |||
| Hungarian | nyom | ||
| The word "nyom" can also mean "sign" in a more general sense | |||
| Latvian | izsekot | ||
| The Latvian word "izsekot" originally meant "to follow an animal by its tracks". | |||
| Lithuanian | pėdsakas | ||
| In Lithuanian, "pėdsakas" means "trace" but also has the alternate meaning of "footprint." | |||
| Macedonian | трага | ||
| In the Macedonian language, the word «трага» can also mean «path» or «way to track». | |||
| Polish | ślad | ||
| The word "ślad" in Polish is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *slědъ, which also means "path" or "track". | |||
| Romanian | urmă | ||
| "Urmă" also refers to a footprint, legacy, proof of a crime or accident. | |||
| Russian | след | ||
| "След" in Russian also means "imprint" or "mark". | |||
| Serbian | траг | ||
| In Russian, "траг" also means "footprint", "mark", "path", or "evidence". | |||
| Slovak | stopa | ||
| "Stopa" can also mean "paw" or "foot" in Slovak and a "measure unit" in the context of poetry. | |||
| Slovenian | sled | ||
| The word "sled" in Slovenian also means "track or trail", derived from the Proto-Slavic –slêdъ—, meaning "a way traced or trodden by someone going over it, a track, footpath, way, trace, mark". | |||
| Ukrainian | слід | ||
| The word "слід" in Ukrainian can also refer to a footprint, a mark, or a path. | |||
Trace in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ট্রেস | ||
| "ট্রেস" শব্দটির সঙ্গে 'ট্র্যাক' শব্দের সাথে শব্দতাত্ত্বিক যোগাযোগ রয়েছে। | |||
| Gujarati | ટ્રેસ | ||
| "ટ્રેસ" is related to the word "trace," which also has the meaning of a part; portion. | |||
| Hindi | निशान | ||
| Also means an identifying mark or a footprint, related to the Persian “nesh” for a scar or mark. | |||
| Kannada | ಜಾಡಿನ | ||
| The word "ಜಾಡಿನ" can also refer to a mark left on the body from an injury or disease. | |||
| Malayalam | കണ്ടെത്തുക | ||
| കണ്ടെത്തുക (kaṇḍettukka) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'khan' or 'khad', meaning 'to dig'. Therefore, it also means 'to excavate' or 'to dig out'. | |||
| Marathi | ट्रेस | ||
| The Marathi word 'ट्रेस' originates from English and refers to a small quantity or amount of something. | |||
| Nepali | ट्रेस | ||
| The word "ट्रेस" in Nepali can also mean "a small amount of something" or "a mark or line left by something that has passed." | |||
| Punjabi | ਟਰੇਸ | ||
| The word "ਟਰੇਸ" also means "a slight mark or impression left by something that has passed" in Punjabi. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | හෝඩුවාව | ||
| Tamil | சுவடு | ||
| சுவடு in Tamil also means 'footstep', 'path', and 'mark' | |||
| Telugu | జాడ కనుగొను | ||
| The verb "జాడ కనుగొను" literally means "to find a footprint or mark," but is also used figuratively to mean "to follow a trail" or "to uncover a hidden truth." | |||
| Urdu | ٹریس | ||
| The Urdu word "ٹریس" has multiple meanings, including "mark," "sign," "line," and "track." | |||
Trace in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 跟踪 | ||
| The full-width form of "跟踪" can mean "follow the traces of" or "track the root cause of something." | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 跟踪 | ||
| The character '蹤' in '跟踪' literally means 'footstep' or 'trail', implying the act of following someone's footsteps or path. | |||
| Japanese | 痕跡 | ||
| The word 痕跡 (konseki) can also mean "evidence" or "indication". | |||
| Korean | 자취 | ||
| "자취" also means "footsteps" or "footprints" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | ул мөр | ||
| "Ул мөр" can also be interpreted as "a path created by the wheel of a moving vehicle." | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | သဲလွန်စ | ||
| The word also means "to be traced, followed, or marked". | |||
Trace in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jejak | ||
| "Jejak" in Indonesian can also refer to a dance performed by the Betawi people of Jakarta. | |||
| Javanese | tilase | ||
| In Old Javanese, "tilase" also meant "monument" or "inscription". | |||
| Khmer | ដាន | ||
| The word “ដាន” can also refer to a path or trail in Khmer. | |||
| Lao | ຮ່ອງຮອຍ | ||
| Malay | jejak | ||
| Jejak also means 'footprint' or 'pathway' in Malay. | |||
| Thai | ติดตาม | ||
| Despite its literal meaning of "to stick to" or "to follow", "ติดตาม" can also be used in a more figurative sense, to indicate "to monitor" or "to keep track of" something. | |||
| Vietnamese | dấu vết | ||
| The word "dấu vết" can also mean "sign" or "mark" in Vietnamese. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bakas | ||
Trace in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | iz | ||
| The word "iz" in Azerbaijani can also mean "mark", "sign", or "vestiges". | |||
| Kazakh | із | ||
| The Kazakh word "із" can also mean "sign", "mark", or "proof". | |||
| Kyrgyz | из | ||
| In Kyrgyz, "из" can also mean "scent," "trail," or "footstep." | |||
| Tajik | пайгирӣ | ||
| The word "пайгирӣ" (trace) in Tajik has different meanings, such as "research", "investigation", and "tracking". | |||
| Turkmen | yz | ||
| Uzbek | iz | ||
| In Old Uzbek, "iz" also meant "sign" or "mark". | |||
| Uyghur | ئىز | ||
Trace in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kahakiʻi | ||
| The word "kahakiʻi" also means "to mark or make a mark". | |||
| Maori | whakapapa | ||
| The word "whakapapa" can also mean "genealogy" or "lineage" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | faʻasologa | ||
| Faʻasologa can also refer to a pattern or model, as well as a line or furrow. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | bakas | ||
| The Tagalog word "bakas" can also mean vestige, evidence, sign, indicator, reminder, scar, or bruise. | |||
Trace in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | rastru | ||
| Guarani | takykuere | ||
Trace in International Languages
| Esperanto | spuro | ||
| "Spuro" is also a synonym for "trako", meaning "rail", and is probably related to the Latin word "spurius", meaning "illegitimate" or "false", possibly due to the way rails guide trains along a path. | |||
| Latin | vestigium | ||
| In Latin, "vestigium" denotes a physical trace, but also a path, a track, or a mark, extending its meaning to the realm of memory, history, and the passage of time. | |||
Trace in Others Languages
| Greek | ίχνος | ||
| In ancient Greek, the word ίχνος ('ikhnos') originally meant 'step' or 'footstep' before later coming to encompass the broader concept of 'trace' or 'track'. | |||
| Hmong | ib txoj lw | ||
| The word "ib txoj lw" can also mean "footprint" or "trail" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | şopandin | ||
| In Kurdish, "şopandin" comes from the Persian word "şob" meaning "night" and "and" meaning "in," referring to something that happened during the night. | |||
| Turkish | iz | ||
| The word "iz" in Turkish also means "scent" or "odor". | |||
| Xhosa | trace | ||
| The Xhosa noun 'umkhondo' has the same root as the English word 'trace', referring to a footprint or path. | |||
| Yiddish | שפּור | ||
| The Yiddish word "שפּור" (/shpor/) ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *sper, meaning "to kick," and thus is a cognate of the English word "spur." | |||
| Zulu | ukulandelela | ||
| The word "ukulandelela" in Zulu shares its root with "ulandelo", meaning "progenitor" or "ancestor", suggesting a connection between tracing and genealogy. | |||
| Assamese | দাগ | ||
| Aymara | rastru | ||
| Bhojpuri | निशान | ||
| Dhivehi | ޓްރޭސް | ||
| Dogri | नां-नशान | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | bakas | ||
| Guarani | takykuere | ||
| Ilocano | ibakat | ||
| Krio | stɔdi | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شوێنپێ | ||
| Maithili | चिह्न | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯤꯗꯣꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | hnuchhui | ||
| Oromo | faana dhahuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିହ୍ନ | ||
| Quechua | yupi | ||
| Sanskrit | चिह्न | ||
| Tatar | эз | ||
| Tigrinya | ኣሰር | ||
| Tsonga | landzelerisa | ||
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