How to say “zero” in Chinese

零

líng

zero

numeral · HSK 1 · topic “Family and people”

“Zero” in Chinese is 零, líng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

零 is read líng. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

líng — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

How to write it

零

líng — zero

On top, 雨 “rain”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “零”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 零. Tap the sound icon to listen.

我妹妹特别爱吃零食。wǒmèimeitèbiéàichīlíngshíMy younger sister loves snacking.
你有零钱吗？nǐyǒulíngqiánmaDo you have any change?
她买了一袋子零食tāmǎileyídàizilíngshíShe bought a bag of snacks.
你的零花钱都花在哪儿了？nǐdelínghuāqiándōuhuāzàinǎrleWhat did you spend your pocket money on?
今天零下五摄氏度。jīntiānlíngxiàwǔshèshìdùIt's minus five degrees today.
昨天晚上零下十摄氏度zuótiānwǎnshanglíngxiàshíshèshìdùYesterday evening it was minus ten.

More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.

More words from the lesson “Counting to five”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “zero” in Chinese?

“Zero” in Chinese is 零, pinyin líng.

What does 零 mean?

零 (líng) means “zero”.

How do you write 零?

零 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 零?

零 is read líng. Tones: líng — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“zero” in the lesson “Counting to five”

This word is from the topic “Family and people” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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