跡

The original 迹 is a phono-semantic compound, consisting of:

辵 (chwak/착, “to walk slowly, to go”) as the semantic element;

朿 (cha, “thorn”) as the phonetic element.

In bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen), the form was 辵 + 朿.

By the time of small seal script (小篆), the 朿 component was replaced by 亦 (yeok, “also”), which was visually and phonetically similar, resulting in the current form.

跡 replaces the radical 辵 with 足 (foot).

蹟 replaces the phonetic 亦 with 責 (chaek, “to reproach”).

Semantically, there is no inherent difference among the three.

In modern usage:

Korea: 跡 is the most widely used form. However, in words related to relics or records of deeds (e.g. 유적, 행적), the 蹟 form is often preferred. 迹 is generally treated as an alternate form of 跡 and rarely used.

China (Simplified): 迹 is the standardized form, while 跡 and 蹟 are considered variants.

Japan: Only 跡 is included among the commonly used kanji (常用漢字), so usage is almost always standardized to 跡.

Common compounds:

유적 (遺蹟/遺跡) – ruins, remains, relics

행적 (行蹟/行跡) – life record, achievements

사적 (事蹟/事跡) – historical site, record of events

흔적 (痕跡) – trace, vestige, mark

跡, 蹟, and 迹 are variant forms of the same character. Strictly speaking, 迹 is the original form, while 蹟 and 跡 are later derivatives.