零

Zero in Numbers

Level 1Sounds Like ling4

零 (ling4) represents '0' in Cantonese. Beyond reading single digits (like phone numbers or years), it acts as an internal placeholder inside compound numbers (e.g., 101 = 一百零一). Even if multiple zeros appear together (like 1,005), you only say 零 once!

How It Works

1. Digit Sequences & Phone Numbers
When reciting numbers individually—such as room numbers, years, or phone numbers—零 (ling4) is read directly as 'zero'.
• 二零二五年 (ji6 ling4 ji6 ng5 nin4) = Year 2025
• 二零七號房 (ji6 ling4 cat1 hou6 fong2) = Room 207

2. The Internal Placeholder Rule
When a zero occupies an intermediate place value (like tens or hundreds) between non-zero digits, you must insert 零 (ling4).
• 101 = 一百零一 (jat1 baak3 ling4 jat1)
• 1,008 = 一千零八 (jat1 cin1 ling4 baat3)

Crucial Distinction:
• 一百一 (jat1 baak3 jat1) = 110 (short for 一百一十).
• 一百零一 (jat1 baak3 ling4 jat1) = 101.
Omitting 零 (ling4) completely changes the number to a multiple of ten!

3. Consecutive Zeros Rule
If two or more zeros occur side-by-side in a compound number (e.g., 1,005 or 10,002), only ONE 零 (ling4) is spoken.
• 1,005 = 一千零五 (jat1 cin1 ling4 ng5) — NOT 一千零零五.

4. Expressing Two After 零
When the digit '2' follows 零 (ling4) inside a number, always use 二 (ji6), never 兩 (loeng5).
• 102 = 一百零二 (jat1 baak3 ling4 ji6)

5. Decimals
For decimals under 1, start with 零 (ling4):
• 0.5 = 零點五 (ling4 dim2 ng5)

6. Colloquial Approximations ('And a few / Odd')
In casual spoken Cantonese, placing 零 immediately after a major unit (十, 百, 千) creates an estimate meaning 'and a few / odd'. In this usage, 零 is typically pronounced as leng4 in spoken speech, representing a remainder in the next smaller place value:
• 十零個 (sap6 leng4 go3) = Ten-odd items (a little over ten)
• 百零蚊 (baak3 leng4 man1) = 100-odd dollars (a little over 100)

7. Unit Bridging (Currency, Time & Measurement)
When connecting major and minor units with zero or a remainder in between, 零 (ling4) is used to bridge them:
• 五蚊五毫 (ng5 man1 ng5 hou4) = $5.50 (five dollars and fifty cents, since 1 毫 = 10 cents), with no 零 because the tenths place is not empty; for $5.05, say 五蚊零五 (ng5 man1 ling4 ng5)
• 一年零三個月 (jat1 nin4 ling4 saam1 go3 jyut6) = One year and three months
• 三歲零幾個月 (saam1 seoi3 ling4 gei2 go3 jyut6) = Three years and a few months old

Examples (4)

  1. 我住喺二零七號房。

    I live in room 207.

    Word by Word: I live at two zero seven number room.

    In room numbers and sequences, each digit is read individually, so '0' is pronounced ling4.

  2. 呢件衫要一百零八蚊。

    This shirt costs 108 dollars.

    Word by Word: This item shirt needs one hundred zero eight dollars.

    Because 108 has a zero in the tens place, 零 (ling4) must be inserted between 一百 and 八.

  3. 呢間學校有一千零五個學生。

    This school has 1,005 students.

    Word by Word: This classifier school has one thousand zero five classifier student.

    Even though 1,005 has two consecutive zeros (hundreds and tens places), only a single 零 (ling4) is spoken.

  4. 我想買百零蚊嘅禮物。

    I want to buy a gift that costs 100-odd dollars.

    Word by Word: I want buy hundred odd dollars possessive gift.

    Placing 零 (ling4) directly after 百 (baak3) gives the approximate meaning of '100-odd' or 'slightly over 100'.

Common Mistakes

  • 一百一頁紙 is natural, but it means 110 pages, not 101.

    Different Meaning呢度有一百一頁紙。
    呢度有一百零一頁紙。

    一百一頁紙 means 110 pages: 一百一 is a short form of 一百一十 (110). To say 101, include 零 (ling4).

  • Doubling 零 for multiple consecutive zero placeholders.

    呢個地方有一千零零五個人。
    呢個地方有一千零五個人。

    Cantonese rules require collapsing consecutive zero placeholders into a single 零 (ling4), no matter how many zeros there are.

  • Using 兩 (loeng5) instead of 二 (ji6) after 零 inside compound numbers.

    呢本書要一百零兩蚊。
    呢本書要一百零二蚊。

    When representing the digit 2 following a 零 placeholder inside a compound number (e.g., 102), you must use 二 (ji6), not 兩 (loeng5).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

零Level 1Zero in Numbers

Learn This First

To use '零' (zero) correctly in Cantonese numbers, you must first be familiar with basic numerals and the counting system, including how larger units like hundreds, thousands, and ten-thousands are structured.

Words in This Pattern

零零