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微恙 (びよう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Kanji 微 delicate, minuteness, insignificance Related words 病びょう 気き 病気 is the general, everyday word for illness or sickness. 微恙 is a formal, literary term specifically for a minor ailment.
風邪かぜ 風邪 means a cold (common viral infection). 微恙 is broader and more formal, covering any slight indisposition.
Etymology Compound of 微 (bi, 'slight, subtle') and 恙 (yō, 'illness, ailment'). The character 恙 is relatively rare in modern Japanese and contributes to the formal/literary tone.
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I will be absent from today's meeting due to a slight illness.
The doctor diagnosed it as a minor ailment.
