zero, spill, overflow, nothing

About this kanji

The kanji 「零」 primarily means 'zero' and is used in various contexts to indicate nothingness or a value of none. It is often found in nouns and verbs, with common compounds such as 零時 (れいじ), meaning 'twelve o'clock', and 零下 (れいか), which refers to 'below zero' temperatures. The verb 零す (こぼす) means 'to spill', while 零れる (こぼれる) means 'to overflow'. Both verbs emphasize the action of something spilling out or overflowing. A handy note is that while 'zero' can represent a numerical value in everyday life, it also symbolizes the concept of emptiness or a starting point in various contexts.

Example sentences

• この温度は零度だ。

  This temperature is zero degrees.

Meanings across languages

English

zero, spill, overflow, nothing, cipher

Tiếng Việt

không

日本語

零

한국어

제로

中文

零

id

nol

th

ศูนย์

es

cero

fr

zéro

de

Null

pt

zero

Common compounds

• 零時れいじtwelve o'clock, midnight, noon
• 零すこぼすto spill, to drop, to shed (tears)
• 零下れいかbelow zero, sub-zero
• 零細れいさいinsignificant, trifling, paltry
• 零れるこぼれるto spill, to fall out of, to overflow
• 零敗れいはいlosing without scoring, shutout, whitewash
• 零点れいてんzero (points, marks), no marks, zero (of a function)
• 零戦ゼロせんZero fighter plane