also: ごくしょう
na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
minimum; minuscule; extremely small
Describes something at the smallest possible scale, often in technical or emphatic contexts. Can be used as a noun, adjectival noun (na-adjective), or prenominal (no-adjective).
この機械は極小の部品でできている。
This machine is made of minuscule parts.
極小な文字で書かれた注
A warning written in extremely small letters.
noun
local minimum
Only with reading きょくしょう
Mathematics term for a local minimum of a function. Restricted to the reading きょくしょう.
この関数の極小値を求めなさい。
Find the local minimum of this function.
Compound of 極 (extreme) and 小 (small). The reading きょくしょう is the standard on'yomi combination; ごくしょう is a rare variant.