零

zero; to spill; small

Kanji 1922

Knowing 零 gives you access to terms for subzero temperatures and 12:00. But far beyond that, truly grasping 零 enables you to say all of the following: “There is no chance of rain this weekend,” “They were shut out two games in a row,” “The sun peeked through,” “The milk boiled over,” “Hungry dogs were hoping for scraps,” and “I beg you to overlook my offense.” What a range!

Revision History:

Jan. 4, 2020: 

• p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one and revised the Kanjigen etymology a bit. In earlier versions of the essay I presented two Sears images, but I've deleted one because Sears no longer presents it on his 零 page. He now treats 霝 and 零 as separate characters. I've given his reason for that on p. 2.
• p. 12: Defined  2年ぶり instead of just 2年.
• p. 19: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

Mar. 31, 2018: p. 9: Changed 狙う (to aim) to 狙い (ねらい: aim).

Oct. 2, 2017: p. 2, Ety. Box: I had mentioned Henshall's comment that 零 means "zero" in Japanese but not in Chinese. A sharp-eyed reader sent visual proof (a picture of a Chinese Coke Zero can!) that this character can indeed mean "zero" in Chinese! I therefore deleted that bit from Henshall.

Sept. 29, 2017: Originally published