Names for the number 0

There are several names for the number 0 in different languages.

Language

Name and pronunciation
or transliteration

Notes

صفر (sifr)

零

The character 零 (pinyin: líng) means "zero" in Chinese, although 〇 is also common. Etymologically 零 is an onomatopoeic word for "light rain". The upper part of the character is 雨, meaning "rain", and the lower part is 令 (lìng), for the sound.^[1]

Dutch

nul /nyl/

English

zero

There are many other names

French

zéro /zeʁo/

German

Null

Whether the first letter of number names should be capitalized – like all nouns are – or not is disputed

Greek

μηδέν /miːðɛn/

Literally meaning "not even one"

શૂન્ય (Śūn'ya)

zewo

אֶפֶס (efes)

nol /nɔl/

Adopted from the Dutch word nul. In addition, people often pronounce it as "kosong" /kɔsɔŋ/, literally meaning 'empty', when spelling telephone numbers.

Japanese

零 (read rei)

The character 零 (read rei) means "zero" in Japanese, although 〇 is also common. However, in common usage, ゼロ/ぜろ (read zero) is preferred, as it is a direct adaptation of the English equivalent.

Korean