1.
slight, small in quantity or degree
Describes something that exists in a very small amount or to a very small degree. Often implies insufficiency or emphasizes how surprisingly small something is.
僅かな差で負けた。
I lost by a slight margin.
僅かな時間しか残っていない。
There is only a little time left.
僅かな貯金を切り崩して生活していた。
I was living by gradually using up my meager savings.
USAGE:
Emphasizes smallness in quantity, amount, or degree. Often carries a nuance of "only" or "merely" — highlighting that something is less than expected. The adverbial form 僅かに is also common.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 僅かな差 (slight difference)
- 僅かな時間 (a short time)
- 僅かな金額 (a small amount of money)
- 僅かな望み (a slim hope)
- 僅かな量 (a small quantity)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 微かな: emphasizes faintness or weak perceptibility, while 僅かな emphasizes smallness of quantity or degree
- 少ない: simply means "few" or "little" without the emphatic nuance of 僅かな