微

See also: 徵, 徴, and 徹

Translingual

Japanese	微
Simplified	微
Traditional	微

Alternative forms

Note that the middle component is written as 𡵂 (⿳山一几) in simplified Chinese and Korean. In Japanese, the middle component is written as 𡵉 (⿱山兀). In traditional Chinese, the middle component is written (⿳山一儿), as found in the Kangxi dictionary.

Han character

微 (Kangxi radical 60, 彳+10, 13 strokes, cangjie input 竹人山弓大 (HOUNK) or 竹人山山大 (HOUUK), four-corner 2824₀, composition ⿰彳𢼸(GK) or ⿰彳𣁋(TJV))

Derived characters

• 䉠, 黴, 徽, 徵, 鰴, 幑, 覹, 溦

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 370, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10203
• Dae Jaweon: page 696, character 15
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 837, character 10
• Unihan data for U+5FAE

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Chinese

trad.		微
simp. #		微

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (微) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
矀	*mrɯl, *mɯl
覹	*mrɯl
黴	*mrɯl, *mɯːls
薇	*mrɯl, *mɯl
媺	*mrɯlʔ
微	*mɯl
溦	*mɯl
癓	*mɯl
徽	*hmɯl
幑	*hmɯl

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mɯl) : semantic 彳 + phonetic 𢼸 ().

Etymology

"not; no"

The negative root *m + 惟 (OC *ɢʷi, “to be”) (Pulleybank, 1995).

"small"

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mwəj (“fine; delicate”) (STEDT). Cognate with Burmese မွေ့ (mwe., “delicate”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 微

1. tiny; small; trifling
2. to decline; to deteriorate
3. humble; low-ranking
4. slight; gentle
5. slightly; gently
6. (literary) to not have

   • 微管仲，吾其被髮左衽矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     微管仲，吾其被发左衽矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Wēi Guǎnzhòng, wú qí bèifàzuǒrèn yǐ. [Pinyin]

     Without Guan Zhong, we should now be wearing our hair unbound, and the lappets of our coats buttoning on the left side.

7. micro- (SI unit prefix)
8. (～母) (phonology) a Middle Chinese initial and the 'Phags-pa script letter ꡓ (w-)

See also

SI prefix
Last		Next
毫 (háo)	微	奈/納／奈/纳

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (微):

• → Japanese: 微(み) (mi); 微(び) (bi)
• → Korean: 미(微) (mi)
• → Vietnamese: vi (微)

Pronunciation 2

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bui

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• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bui
    • Tâi-lô: bui
    • Phofsit Daibuun: buy
    • IPA (Xiamen): /bui⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bui³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bui⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /bui⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /bui⁴⁴/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 微 (Southern Min)

1. (mouth, eyes, etc.) to close slightly
2. a little

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Japanese

Kanji

微

(Jōyō kanji)

1. delicate

Readings

• Go-on: み (mi)
• Kan-on: び (bi, Jōyō)
• Kun: かすか (kasuka, 微か); ちいさい (chīsai, 微さい); わずか (wazuka)

Etymology 1

Affix

微(び) • (bi) 

1. tiny; small; minute

Etymology 2

Affix

微(み) • (mi) 

1. tiny; small; minute

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Korean

Hanja

微 • (mi) (hangeul 미, revised mi, McCune–Reischauer mi, Yale mi)

1. 작을미 - small, few, little, hidden

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 微 (vi)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.