minuteness; slightness; tiny
Used as a noun or adjectival noun to describe something extremely small, subtle, or insignificant. Often appears in compounds or formal contexts.
one millionth; 10^-6
Numeric prefix meaning one millionth, used in scientific and technical contexts.
One micrometer is one millionth of a meter, that is, 10^-6.
The difference is minute and hardly noticeable.
小 loosely means 'slightly less than' in everyday words (小1時間), while 微 is a more formal, technical prefix for a tiny or minute amount (微量).
微 (び, 'tiny, minute') and 徴 (ちょう, 'sign, symptom') look almost identical in kanji form but have unrelated meanings, so learners often mix them up.
subtle; delicate; fine · delicate; tricky; close · doubtful; questionable; dicey · not great; iffy; meh
slight; insignificant; trifling
microorganism; microbe; germ
microscope
smile
microscopic; minute; very small
fine particle; minute particle; corpuscle
minute; fine; very small · detailed; subtle; fine-grained
trace amount; minuscule quantity
The kanji 微 carries the meaning of 'minute' or 'tiny'. The reading び is the on'yomi, used in both the general sense and the numeric prefix sense.
differentiation · differential; derivative
slight; minor; insignificant
slight fever; low-grade fever
feeble; faint; weak
slight movement; slight tremor; quiver
little power; little influence · one's meager ability; what little one can do
subtleties; niceties; inner workings · subtle; sensitive
slight increase; marginal rise
calculus; infinitesimal calculus
slight reduction; small decrease
minor offense; misdemeanor
microscopic
infinitesimal; very small; minute
fine powder; fines
dim; indistinct; faint
extreme decline; decay
small breasts
slight wound; minor injury
faint light; glimmer; dim light
soft recitation; singing or chanting quietly
minute difference; tiny difference; razor-thin margin