1.
scar; mark left by a wound or injury
A physical mark remaining on the skin or a surface after a wound has healed. Also used figuratively for lasting emotional damage or evidence of past destruction.
腕に傷跡が残っている。
There is a scar on my arm.
手術の傷跡はだんだん目立たなくなった。
The surgical scar gradually became less noticeable.
戦争の傷跡は今も街のあちこちに残っている。
The scars of war still remain throughout the city.
傷跡 is a compound of 傷 (wound) and 跡 (trace, mark). It refers to the mark left after healing, not the wound itself.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 傷跡が残る (a scar remains)
- 傷跡が消える (a scar fades)
- 傷跡が目立つ (a scar is noticeable)
- 心の傷跡 (emotional scars)
USAGE NOTES:
The figurative usage is very common. 戦争の傷跡 (scars of war), 災害の傷跡 (scars of a disaster), and 心の傷跡 (emotional scars) are all frequently seen in news and literature.