微 meaning and stroke order
Small, tiny, trifling; micro-
How to write 微, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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- 13
Meaning of 微
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- tiny
- miniature
- slightly
- profound
- abtruse
- to decline
How 微 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 彳 (to step with the left foot), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 微
Picture a traveler on the road 彳 walking past a tiny mountain 山 on a flat top 兀, tapping it with a hand 攵. From far away the hill looks so small that it seems tiny, which is the core idea of 微 (wēi).
微 (wēi) usually appears in words rather than alone. It means small or slight, and it works like the prefix micro- in modern terms such as 微波炉 (wēibōlú) and 微信 (wēixìn). Example: 她微笑着说你好。(Tā wēixiàozhe shuō nǐ hǎo.) She said hello with a smile.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 微 with 徽 (huī, emblem) and 徵 (zhēng), which share the same left and right sides. In 微, the middle has 山 over 兀 with nothing underneath, while 徽 adds 糸 at the bottom and 徵 adds 王 at the bottom. Also keep the first tone: it is wēi, not wéi.
Common words with 微
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 微笑 | wēixiào | smile; to smile | HSK 4 |
| 微信 | wēixìn | Weixin or WeChat (instant messaging and social media app developed by Tencent 騰訊|腾讯[Teng2 | HSK 4 |
| 稍微 | shāowēi | a little bit | HSK 5 |
| 微博 | wēibó | microblogging; microblog | HSK 5 |
| 微波炉 | wēibōlú | microwave oven | HSK 6 |
| 轻微 | qīngwēi | slight; light | HSK 7-9 |
| 微不足道 | wēibùzúdào | (idiom) negligible; insignificant | HSK 7-9 |
| 微妙 | wēimiào | subtle | HSK 7-9 |
| 微弱 | wēiruò | weak; faint | HSK 7-9 |
| 微型 | wēixíng | miniature; micro-; tiny | HSK 7-9 |
| 细微 | xìwēi | tiny; minute | HSK 7-9 |
| 略微 | lüèwēi | a little bit; slightly | HSK 7-9 |
| 微观 | wēiguān | micro-; subatomic | HSK 7-9 |
| 无微不至 | wúwēi-bùzhì | in every possible way (idiom); meticulous | HSK 7-9 |
微 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 微
Learning 微 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 微
How many strokes are in 微?
微 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 微 mean?
微 (wēi) means small, tiny, trifling; micro-. A common word with it is 微笑 (wēixiào), meaning "smile; to smile".
How do you pronounce 微?
微 is pronounced wēi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 微?
The radical of 微 is 彳, which carries the idea of "to step with the left foot". Dictionaries list 微 under this radical.
Is 微 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 微 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 稍微 and 轻微?
稍微 (shāowēi) is an adverb meaning a little bit, used before verbs or adjectives, as in 稍微等一下 (wait a moment). 轻微 (qīngwēi) is an adjective describing something slight or mild, such as 轻微的伤 (a minor injury).
Can 微 mean something other than small?
Yes. It can mean slightly, as in 微笑 (a slight smile). It can also mean subtle or profound, as in 微妙 (wēimiào), and in older texts it can mean to decline.