僅
a wee bit
Readings
On'yomi
- キン
- ゴン
Kun'yomi
- わず.か
Meaning
僅 centers on a very small amount or degree: just a little, a tiny bit, barely enough to notice.
Most common words using 僅
- 僅かわずかN3
a little; a few; small; slight; trifling; meagre; meager; narrow (margin)
- 僅差きんさ
narrow margin; slim margin
- 僅少きんしょう
a little; a few; small; slight; trifling; insignificant; narrow (margin)
- ごく僅かごくわずかN2
derisory; negligible; minimal; nominal; imperceptible
- 僅々きんきんN1
only; just; merely; no more than
- ほんの僅かほんのわずか
small amount; jot; nothing much; (to a) slight degree; wee bit
- 人生僅か五十年じんせいわずかごじゅうねん
life is short; life is just fifty years
- 僅かしかわずかしか
(nothing) but a little
- 僅かながらわずかながら
only slightly; small amount
- 僅かにわずかに
slightly; a little
- 僅少差きんしょうさ
narrow majority; shade of difference
Study
Etymology
僅 combines 亻 (person) with 堇, which likely contributes the sound and carries a sense of scarcity or smallness. The exact historical development of 堇 is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
A person 亻 standing beside 堇, which looks like a small, sparse plant struggling to grow. Together they suggest something barely there: just a wee bit.
Reading mnemonic
For キン, imagine a tiny kin (family member) who is so small they are just a wee bit of a person: kin -> キン.