微

微 U+5FAE, 微 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5FAE ← 徭 [U+5FAD] CJK Unified Ideographs 徯 → [U+5FAF]

Japanese	微
Simplified	微
Traditional	微

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.

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))

• 䉠, 黴, 徽, 徵, 鰴, 幑, 覹, 溦

• 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

trad.		微
simp. #		微
2nd round simp.		𡵉
alternative forms		㣲 𢕧 𢼸

In oracle bone script, it may be written as 𡵂 or 𢼸.

The former is a variant of 美 (OC *mriʔ), borrowed for sound, pictogram (象形) of a person with long hair.

The latter an ideogrammic (會意／会意) and phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mɯl) : phonetic 𡵂 (OC *mriʔ) + semantic 攵 (“hand with tool”) – splitting or combing hairs; minute. Possibly the original form of 媺 (OC *mrɯlʔ).

彳 (OC *tʰeɡ) was added to emphasize action to create the modern form.

"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”).

微

1. tiny; small; trifling
2. to decline; to deteriorate
3. humble; low-ranking
4. slight; gentle
5. slightly; gently
6. ^† 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 Guǎn Zhòng, wú qí pīfàzuǒrèn 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. [from 19th c., officially from 1981 (PRC), 1985 (ROC)] micro- (SI unit prefix)
8. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 微 (MC mj+j)
9. (～日) (telegraphy) the fifth day of a month

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

Chinese historical small numbers
Value	Character	Notes
10-1	分 (fèn)	Still in use. SI prefix deci-.
10-2	厘 (lí), 釐 (lí)	Still in use. SI prefix centi-.
10-3	毫 (háo)	Still in use. SI prefix milli-. Also 毛 (máo).
10-4	絲／丝 (sī)	Rarely used today.
	秒 (miǎo)	Obsolete, only in ancient texts.
10-5	忽 (hū)	Rarely used today.
10-6	微 (wēi)	Still in use. SI prefix micro-.
10-7	纖／纤 (xiān)	Obsolete.
10-8	沙 (shā)	Obsolete.
10-9	塵／尘 (chén)	Obsolete. 納／纳 (nà) and 奈 (nài) are used for nano-.
10-10	埃 (āi)	Obsolete. In modern use, the character for angstrom (10-10 m).
10-11	渺 (miǎo)	Obsolete.
10-12	漠 (mò)	Obsolete. 皮 (pí) is used for SI prefix pico-.

微 (Southern Min)

1. (mouth, eyes, etc.) to close slightly

   • 看著你啊像酒醉茫茫目睭格微微 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad. and simp.]

     From: ~1986, 免失志, sung by 陳小雲 (Chen Hsiao-yun), lyrics by 王秀英, composed by 陳宏

     khòaⁿ tio̍h lí--ah chhiūⁿ chiú-chùi bâng-bâng ba̍k-chiu keh bui bui [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     You look like you're drunk with [your] hazy eyes in a squinting pattern

2. a little

(Jōyō kanji)

1. delicate

• 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)

微(び) • (bi) 

1. tiny; small; minute

微(み) • (mi) 

1. tiny; small; minute

微 (eumhun 작을 미 (jageul mi))

1. hanja form^? of 미 (“small, few, little, hidden”)

微 (eumhun 자질구레할 미 (jajilgurehal mi))

1. hanja form^? of 미 (“minor, trivial, trifling”)

微: Hán Nôm readings: vi

1. chữ Hán form of vi (“micro-”).

微

1. Sawndip form of feiz (“fire”)