零

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 今日の気温は零度です。▶ —
   Todays temperature is zero degrees.
2. 電話番号は零三です。▶ —
   The phone number starts with zero-three.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Rei-zero (零) is the on-yomi for zero in Japanese, with the English loan zero (ゼロ) used at near-equal frequency. Distribution: reido (zero degrees temperature), reika (below zero), reiji (midnight, 0 oclock), reiten (zero point as on a test) — kanji-side, formal. Zero-en (0 yen), zero karorii (zero calories), zero-sai (zero years old, infant) — loanword side, daily and marketing. Even the digit can be voiced as maru (the circle shape) in casual reading aloud: phone number 03 may go maru-san or zero-san. Japanese-specific quirk: 零 splits between rei and zero, with time, temperature, and grades preferring rei, while prices and calories prefer zero — register divides. The kanji 零 originally meant "fall, dwindle" and broadened to "nothing." Chinese ling and Sino-Korean yeong share the on-yomi root. Cultural code: Japanese link zero to mu (無, nothingness / empty), aligning with the Zen aesthetic of mu. Even the Zero-sen (零戦) of WW2, the Mitsubishi A6M carrier-based fighter, gets its name from 1940 being Imperial Year 2600, hence "year zero."

Quick check

1. Register split of "0" readings in Japanese?

   • Time, temperature, grades = rei (formal kanji); prices, calories = zero (loanword, casual)
   • All rei
   • All zero
   • All maru