The kanji 微 primarily conveys the idea of "small," "slight," "tiny," or "minute." It often describes something that is almost imperceptible or very subtle. This can apply to physical size, quantity, degree, or intensity.

・On-yomi (音読み): ビ (bi) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かすか (kasuka) - faint, dim; わずか (wazuka) - a little, few

⚫︎ 微小 (bishou) Translation: Tiny; minute; microscopic. ⚫︎ 微熱 (binetsu) Translation: Slight fever; low-grade fever. ⚫︎ 微笑 (bishou) Translation: A faint smile; a slight smile.

The kanji 微 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The left side is the radical 彳 (gyou-nyou), which is related to movement or walking. The right side is 微 (bi), which is originally a phonetic component, implying the sound and later developing a sense of "small" or "subtle." It shows how small movements or traces (implied by the radical) can reveal subtle things. Over time, the meaning of "small" and "subtle" became the dominant meaning of the character.