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Kotomora

微

delicate, minuteness, insignificance

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • ビ

Kun'yomi

  • かす.か

Nanori

  • み

Meaning

微 centers on something so small or faint that it is barely noticeable: delicacy, minuteness, or insignificance.

Most common words using 微

20 of 183
  • 微妙びみょう
    N3

    subtle; delicate; fine

  • 微び
    N1

    minuteness

  • 微々びび

    slight; insignificant; small

  • 微笑むほほえむ
    N3

    to smile

  • 微生物びせいぶつ

    microbe; germ

  • 顕微鏡けんびきょう
    N2

    microscope

  • 微笑ましいほほえましい

    heartwarming; pleasant; charming; amusing

  • 微笑びしょう
    N1

    smile

  • 微小びしょう

    microscopic

  • 微粒子びりゅうし

    corpuscle; minute particle; particulate

  • 微細びさい

    minute; fine; detailed; subtle

  • 微量びりょう
    N2

    minuscule amount; extremely small quantity

  • 微かかすか
    N2

    faint; dim; weak; slight; vague; indistinct; hazy

  • 微塵みじん
    N1

    particle; atom; little piece

  • 微分びぶん

    differentiation

  • 軽微けいび

    slight; little; insignificant

  • 微熱びねつ
    N1

    slight fever

  • 微弱びじゃく

    feeble; faint; weak

  • 微動びどう

    slight movement; slight tremor; quiver

  • 微力びりょく

    little power; little influence

Explore all words using 微 →

Study

Etymology

微 combines 彳 (movement) with a phonetic element that also suggests smallness or concealment. The exact historical development of the right side is uncertain, but the overall meaning of something minute or subtle is well established.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 彳 suggests a path, and the right side looks like a tiny mountain 山 with a small action 攵. Imagine walking along a path and noticing a mountain so small it's almost invisible—that's how delicate and insignificant 微 is.

Reading mnemonic

For ビ, imagine a bee (ビー) so tiny and delicate that you can barely see it: bee -> ビ, and its minuteness matches the kanji's meaning.