How do you say "zero" in Japanese?

ゼロ

zero

Adjective Katakana

In Japanese, "zero" is ゼロ (zero).

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Pronunciation

ゼロ is written using katakana. Romanised as zero, it sounds roughly like "zeh-roh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Zero (ゼロ) is a katakana loanword from English or Dutch. Japanese adopted this term for the numerical zero, distinct from native number words.

Example sentence

テーブルの上にゼロ個の猫があります。

Teburu no ue ni zero ko no neko ga arimasu.

There are zero cat(s) on the table.

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How to remember ゼロ

Katakana 'zero' imports the English/European numerical concept.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about ゼロ

How do you pronounce ゼロ?

ゼロ is romanised as zero. Say it roughly like "zeh-roh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ゼロ formal or casual?

ゼロ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is ゼロ written in Japanese?

ゼロ is written using katakana. Zero (ゼロ) is a katakana loanword from English or Dutch.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Zero" in other languages

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