零

• Pinyin: líng
• Hanzi breakdown: 零 = 雨 (rain) + 令 (phonetic component) — originally small raindrops, extended to mean zero

Meaning

Zero. The number 0.

Used in phone numbers, room numbers, temperatures, and maths. In multi-digit numbers, 零 is used to indicate a zero in the middle (一百零一 = 101). Also used for zero degrees (零度) and as the starting point.

Examples

1. 今天零度。 It's zero degrees today.
2. 我的房间号是三零五。 My room number is 305.
3. 一百零三个学生。 One hundred and three students.

Usage Guide

Context: numbers, temperature, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我的电话号码里有三个零。(My phone number has three zeros.)
• 房间号是二零八。(The room number is 208.)

Don't Say

• 我有零个朋友。(Unnatural — say 我没有朋友 instead of using 零 with a measure word this way)

Origin & History

The character originally meant 'tiny drops of rain' (containing the rain radical 雨). The meaning of zero came from the concept of something remaining or left over, then nothing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal