零

• Reading: れい
• Romaji: rei
• Kanji breakdown: 零 (rei) — zero; 雨 (ame, rain) radical + 令 (rei, command)
• Pronunciation: /ɾeː/

Meaning

Zero; nought. The number zero in formal Japanese.

Read as れい in formal or mathematical contexts. In everyday speech, ゼロ (from English 'zero') is far more common. れい is used in weather forecasts (零度, reido, zero degrees), phone numbers, and formal counting. The native word also appears in 零点 (reiten, zero points) and 零時 (reiji, midnight/zero o'clock).

Examples

1. 今日の気温は零度です。 Today's temperature is zero degrees.
2. 電話番号は零三から始まります。 The phone number starts with zero-three.
3. テストで零点を取ってしまいました。 I ended up getting a zero on the test.

Usage Guide

Context: math, weather, formal counting

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 零 originally meant 'falling rain' or 'dripping.' It took on the meaning of zero through its association with small, falling drops — something vanishing or approaching nothing.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal