Names for the number 0
There are several names for the number 0 in different languages.
Arabic
The name for the number zero in Arabic is "صفر" (sifr).
Chinese
Look up 零 in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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
The name of the number 0 in Dutch is "nul" /nyl/.
English
French
The name of the number 0 in French is "zéro" /zeʁo/.
German
The name of the number 0 in German is "Null". (Although whether the first letter of number names should be capitalized – like all nouns are – or not is disputed.)
Greek
The name of the number 0 in Greek is "μηδέν" /miːðɛn/, literally meaning "not even one".
Gujarati
The name of the number 0 in Gujarati is "શૂન્ય" (Śūn'ya).
Haitian Creole
The name of the number 0 in Haitian Creole is "zewo".
Hebrew
In Hebrew, zero is called אֶפֶס (efes).
Indonesian
The name of the number 0 in Indonesian language is "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
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
The name of the number 0 in Korean is Korean: 영; Hanja: 零; RR: yeong or Korean: 공; Hanja: 空; RR: gong.
Portuguese
The name of the number 0 in Portuguese is "zero". It is pronounced /zæro/.
Romanian
The name of the number 0 in Romanian is "zero".
Russian
The name of the number 0 in Russian is "ноль" or "нуль".
Spanish
The name of the number 0 in Spanish is "cero".
Turkish
The name of the number 0 in Turkish is "sıfır".[2]
References
- Chinese character etymology
- Çoker, Doğan, and Timur Karaçay. Matematik Terimleri Sözlüğü. Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları, 1983. Print.