How to write 零 (líng, “zero”)

零 (líng), an HSK 1 character, means “zero”, “nought” and “zero sign”. It is the number 0. As a top-bottom character it splits into 雨 (“rain”, the radical), strokes 1–8; 令 (“to order”), strokes 9–13, written the top first. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 零下 (“below zero”), 零钱 (“change”) and 零花钱 (“pocket money”). Japanese reads it rei, “zero”, as a JLPT N2 kanji.

Pinyin: líng
Strokes: 13
HSK: 1
Radical: 雨 (“rain”)

Stroke by stroke

top leftrightwards
top leftdownwards
top leftrightwards → down and left
topdownwards
Dottop lefta dot
Dotlefta dot
Dottopa dot
Dotcentera dot
centerdown and left
centerdown and right → rightwards
centerdown and right
bottom leftrightwards → down and left
bottomdown and right

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (13 strokes in Japanese, 13 strokes in Chinese).

Japanese · KanjiVG · 13 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 13 strokes

零 in numbers

零下 — below zero
零钱 — change
零花钱 — pocket money
零食 — snack
零件 — part

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

Pinyin	Meanings	Traditional	In words
líng second tone	zero; nought; zero sign; fractional; fragmentary	—	零下零钱零花钱零食

HSK 2025 syllabus: level 1
2021 standard: level 1
HSK 2.0: in a level 1 word
Words with it: 81 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 零

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
零	líng	zero; nought HSK 1
零下	língxià	below zero HSK 4
零钱零錢	língqián	change; small change HSK 4
零花钱零花錢	línghuāqián	pocket money; allowance HSK 4
零食	língshí	snack; nibbles HSK 4
零件	língjiàn	part; component HSK 7-9
零星	língxīng	fragmentary; piecemeal HSK 7-9
零售	língshòu	to retail; to sell in small quantities HSK 7-9
零碎	língsuì	scattered and fragmentary; scraps HSK 7-9
孤零零	gūlínglíng	lone; isolated and without help HSK 7-9

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: