ごくわずか

Meanings

very slight; negligible; minimal; derisory

usually written using kana alone

Emphasizes an extremely small amount or degree, often with a nuance of being almost nothing or hardly worth considering. Used as a な-adjective or in adverbial form ごく僅かに.

Kanji

僅a wee bit
極extreme, pole, extremely

Related words

わずかN3
僅か simply means 'a little' or 'slight', while ごく僅か adds the intensifier ごく to stress an almost negligible amount.
少すこしN5
少し is a neutral, everyday word for 'a little', whereas ごく僅か is stronger and often implies the amount is barely worth mentioning.
微び量りょうN2
微量 is a more technical or scientific term for a trace amount, while ごく僅か is a general, everyday expression for something extremely small.

Opposites

多おおいN5
多い describes a large quantity, the direct opposite of ごく僅か, which describes an almost negligible quantity.

Written forms

ごく僅わずか
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling; 僅か is a common kanji for 'slight'.
極ごく僅わずか
Alternate kanji form using 極 for ごく; less common than ごく僅か.

Etymology

Combination of the adverb ごく (極, 'extremely') and the adjectival noun わずか (僅か, 'slight'). The phrase is a straightforward compound with no irregular etymology.