157. The "Foot" Radical: 足

For many of us the foot is an afterthought. Perhaps that's because it couldn't be farther from the brain, particularly from the eyes. Or maybe we devalue feet because they're often perceived as dirty. 

But feet are essential. They are our foundations. They connect us to the earth, the surface we share with many other life forms. Massage therapists and those who work with reflexology put a premium on the feet. So does my dog trainer. She told me that the paw is where the most tension accumulates in a dog, so I should give my critters frequent paw massages! 

In the kanji world, the foot is actually a bit less valuable, in that the "foot" radical 足 is on duty in just 11 Joyo kanji. But several of those kanji pop up quite often, increasing the importance of our radical.

The 足 Kanji and 足 Radical

The autonomous kanji 足 has a range of definitions:

足 (foot, leg; step; to walk; counter for pairs of footwear; suffice; "foot" radical) 

Henshall says that 足 is a pictograph combining a "kneecap" (口) with a "foot" (the bottom four strokes). All together these shapes mean "(lower) leg," he says.

In the 足 kanji (which has five Joyo readings, including あし), the radical is 足, also pronounced あし. 

Just as the autonomous 足 kanji can mean "foot" or "leg," the radical can have either name in English. We'll go with "foot."

By the way, this radical has seven strokes.

The "Foot" Radical on the Left

Of the 11 Joyo kanji with 足 as an on-duty radical, the 足 kanji stands alone from a design perspective. The other 10 characters feature this radical on the left, as these three examples do:

践 (1495: to carry out)    
跳 (1595: to jump)         
踊 (1880: dance)    

On the left side of a kanji, the radical changes shape. The radical name changes, too, becoming あしへん (足編). The 編 means "left-side radical." 

The Footprint of the 足 Radical

A foot is unquestionably tangible and visible. But it has direct links to footprints, which are hardly there at all. So it is that the 足 radical brings footprint-related definitions into two kanji meaning "traces." Consider these etymologies:

跡 (1485: trace; ruins)

Kanjigen says that the 亦 on the right side represents "armpits with a chest's width between them." But we need to drop our sights quite a bit because the 足 radical means "foot." Thus, 跡 symbolizes footprints, with one shape (of the feet) repeated at regular intervals.

踪 (2055: traces, footprints; whereabouts)

The 踪 consists of 足 (foot) + 宗 (to repeat many times), according to Kanjigen. That is, 踪 represents "repeating footprints." Meanwhile, Henshall says in his newer edition that 蹤 is the original shape of the character, breaking down as 足 (foot, leg) + 從 (the Traditional Chinese form of 従, “follow”). He says that 蹤 therefore means “footprints, tracks, remains.”

By the way, 足 combines with 跡 in this fun word:

足跡 (あしあと: (1) footprints; (2) record of web page visitors (e.g., on social networking sites))     foot + traces

Ah, there's the digital footprint people are always mentioning. Though there are no actual feet involved online, this web activity somehow involves a double helping of the 足 radical!

The Literal Use of the Feet

In other kanji, the 足 radical lends a sense of stepping, treading, kicking, leaping, and dancing. Here are two more etymologies, both from Henshall:

踏 (1657: to step on; be based on)

Our radical means "foot," and the right side means "to connect," also acting phonetically to express "to come into contact with." If a foot comes into contact with the ground, it produces the meaning of "treading" or "stepping on."

躍 (1860: to leap; be active)

The "foot" on the left combines with "bird's wings"! What a fantastic hybrid creature! The right-side component also acts phonetically to express "to leap" and probably "soaring high." Thus, the whole character means "to leap (with the legs)."