微 wēi — tiny, subtle · English

微

wēi

tiny, subtle

At a glance · 微

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从彳（行）从𢼸，含隐行之意，会意隐微。隶楷作「微」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「微」本指隐蔽而行，引申为细小、轻微。

Structure

会意字，从彳从𢼸，表示隐行、细微。

At a glance

Pinyinwēi

Radical彳

Strokes13

UnicodeU+5FAE

Character type会意

Theme状态

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English tiny, subtle Tiny, slight, or hidden; subtle.

Français minuscule, subtil Ténu, léger ou caché; subtil.

Español diminuto, sutil Diminuto, leve u oculto; sutil.

العربية ضئيل، دقيق صغير أو خفي أو دقيق.

Русский крошечный, тонкий Крошечный, слабый или скрытый; тонкий.

Common words

微小wēi xiǎotiny
微wēislight

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