Japanese symbol for “nought”
零
れい
Romaji: rei
zero; nought
In Japanese, nought is 零, read れい (rei).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n zero; nought
Written forms: 零、０、〇. Readings: れい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “nought”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 無 | む mu | nothing; naught; nought |
| 絶無 | ぜつむ zetsumu | nothing; nil; naught |
| ０ | ゼロ zero | zero; 0; nought |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 零細 | れいさい reisai | insignificant; trifling; paltry |
| 零下 | れいか reika | below zero; sub-zero |
| 零れる | こぼれる koboreru | to spill; to fall out of; to overflow |
| 零れ | こぼれ kobore | spilling; spill |
| 零時 | れいじ reiji | twelve o'clock; midnight; noon |
| 零す | こぼす kobosu | to spill; to drop; to shed (tears) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “nought”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.