A gentle, warm smile; often implies a soft, affectionate expression rather than a broad grin.
Her smile put me at ease.
Seeing a baby's innocent smile makes me feel happy.
She listened to the story with a smile on her face.
The teacher gave the students a warm smile.
I couldn't help smiling when I saw the photo.
微笑 is a more formal or literary word for a smile, whereas 微笑み is the everyday noun form used in ordinary speech and writing.
笑み is a slightly literary, poetic word for a smile, while 微笑み is the more common, neutral term used in everyday description.
Standard kanji spelling.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less common but still encountered.
Rarely used kanji form.
The noun is the continuative form of 微笑む. The native verb was historically written 頬笑む and is associated with 頬 “cheek” and 笑む “smile.”