わずか・僅か・纔かwazuka[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. na-adjective, no-adjectivea little; a few; small; slight; trifling; meagre; meager; narrow (margin)
   わずかな誤あやまりでも致命的ちめいてきな惨事さんじにつながるかもしれない。↗

   The slightest mistake may lead to a fatal disaster.

   こんなわずかな収入しゅうにゅうではとてもやっていけない。↗

   I can't get by on such a small income.
2. adverbonly; just; merely; no more than
   私はわずか１０００円えんしか持もっていない。↗

   I have no more than 1,000 yen with me.

   夏休なつやすみまであとわずか一いち週間しゅうかんだ。↗

   The summer vacation is only a week away.

• Synonym少々しょうしょうNeutralA polite 'a little', as in 「少々お待ちください」; unlike 「僅か」, it does not stress that the amount is merely small.
• SynonymちょっとCasualThe most common colloquial word for 'a bit'; also used to catch someone's attention. 「僅か」 leans written and stresses how small the amount is.
• SynonymいささかWrittenWritten/formal prose for 'slightly, a bit'; with a negative it means 'not at all', as in 「いささかも動じない」.
• SynonymややNeutralMeans 'slightly', as in 「やや大きい」 or 「やや増えた」; it modifies degree and does not sit directly before specific numbers, unlike 「僅か」.
• Synonym少しすこしNeutralThe most common everyday word for 'a little'; 「僅か」 stresses the smallness more strongly, often with a 'merely' nuance, as in 「僅か三人」.
• Synonym幾分いくぶんNeutral'Somewhat, to some degree', typically qualifying a degree, as in 「幾分涼しい」; 「僅か」 instead puts the weight on how small the amount is.
• SynonymちょびっとCasualColloquial for 'just a tiny bit', with a playful ring that 「僅か」 lacks.
• Synonym若干じゃっかんNeutralMeans 'some, a few' without specifying the number, as in 「若干名」 or 「若干の変更」; it leans formal, while 「僅か」 stresses how few.
• SynonymちょいCasualA slangy colloquial shortening of 「ちょっと」, as in 「ちょい足し」; far more casual than 「僅か」.
• Synonym些少さしょうWrittenWritten/formal prose for a tiny, trifling amount; often used in humble expressions such as 「些少ながら」.
• Synonym僅少きんしょうWrittenWritten/formal prose for an extremely small amount, as in 「僅少差」 for a narrow margin between figures; stiffer than 「僅か」.
• SynonymいくらかNeutralMeans 'somewhat, to some extent', as in 「いくらか良くなった」; it implies a certain amount is present, while 「僅か」 stresses how little there is.
• Synonym微少びしょうWrittenWritten/formal prose for extremely tiny quantities or degrees; far rarer than 「僅か」.
• SynonymちょっくらCasualColloquial and dialect-flavored, meaning 'a bit, for a moment'; its playful tone sets it apart from neutral 「僅か」.
• SynonymぽっちりCasualColloquial for 'just a tiny bit', with a cute, endearing feel; 「僅か」 is plain and stresses the small figure.
• Related鮮少せんしょうWrittenWritten/formal prose for 'very few'; rare in modern Japanese, unlike the everyday 「僅か」.
• Antonym多いおおいNeutralAntonym: 'many, numerous' — a large number or high frequency, the direct opposite of 「僅か」.
• Antonym大量たいりょうNeutralAntonym: 'a large quantity', as in 「大量生産」; directly opposed to 「僅か」.
• Antonym豊富ほうふNeutralAntonym: 'abundant, plentiful', as in 「経験が豊富」; the opposite of 「僅か」.

Use 「僅か」 to stress that a quantity is small — 'only', as in 「僅か三人」. For everyday 'a little' say 「少し」 or 「ちょっと」; 「少々」 is the polite choice, and 「若干」 the formal one for unspecified 'some'. Written prose offers 「些少」, 「僅少」, 「些か」, 「微少」 and 「鮮少」; 「幾らか」 and 「幾分」 mean 'somewhat, to some extent', and 「やや」 tweaks degree without taking exact numbers. Casual variants are 「ちょい」, 「ちょっくら」, 「ちょびっと」 and 「ぽっちり」. Opposites: 「多い」, 「大量」, 「豊富」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 数量すうりょうや程度ていどが非常ひじょうに小ちいさいこと。
2. （多おおく数量すうりょう表現ひょうげんの直前ちょくぜんにおかれて）数量すうりょうが非常ひじょうに小ちいさいさま。わずかに。たった。
3. 数量すうりょうや程度ていどが非常ひじょうに小ちいさいさま。
4. （「わずかに」の形かたちで）かろうじて。