Contact is a property of moves in the Pokémon games. Making contact occurs when a Pokémon physically touches the target when using a move in battle. Moves that make contact are affected by and can trigger various items and Abilities, such as the Rocky Helmet and Tough Claws.
Whether a move makes contact is independent of its damage category. However, most moves that make contact are physical moves, whereas most special moves do not make contact; no status moves make contact. All moves that make contact only target a single Pokémon.
Hitting a substitute does not make contact with the Pokémon behind it. While confusion damage is physical, it does not count as making contact due to being self-inflicted.