零 means “zero”

れい · rei

Also: spill, overflow, nothing

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ぜろ, こぼす, こぼれる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

レイ

Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

Before the first stroke, there is silence. Zero is the emptiness from which all numbers emerge.

Used in formal contexts; you may also see ゼロ (zero) borrowed from English

Its parts

• 雨 Rain · Top
• 令 Order/command · Bottom

Rain (雨) falling in ordered (令) drops: zero, nothing remains

More from Ancient Counting

• 数 number
• 一番 first
• 年 year
• 分 minute
• 多 many
• 一 one
• 二 two
• 三 three
• 四 four
• 五 five
• 六 six
• 七 seven

Learn 零 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.