pittance; a very small amount
Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'a mosquito's tears', used to describe something extremely tiny or insignificant, often in a humorous or emphatic way.
彼の給料は蚊の涙ほどだ。
His salary is a mere pittance.
蚊の涙のような量のソースしかかかっていない。
There's only a tiny amount of sauce on it, like a mosquito's tears.
The phrase literally means 'a mosquito's tears', evoking an image of something so tiny it is almost nonexistent. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a figurative expression used to emphasize extreme smallness.