Names for the number 0
There are several names for the number 0 in different languages.
Chinese
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 number names should be written 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".
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.
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".
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.