Korean Dictionary
How to say "Zero" in Korean
“Zero” in Korean is 영 (pronounced "yeong").
영
yeong
Usage & Context
The Sino-Korean word for zero, used in phone numbers, addresses, and mathematical expressions. This is the standard way to express zero in formal contexts.
Example Sentence
전화번호가 영 일 이에요.
The phone number is 0-1-2.
How to use 영 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Zero” is 영, romanized as yeong.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 영.
Pronunciation Guide
The word "영" (yeong) is pronounced like the English word "young," but with the 'eo' vowel sounding closer to the 'o' in "song." The 'ng' is a single, soft sound, as in the end of "sing."
More Example Sentences
Describing cold weather.
온도가 영하 5도예요.
The temperature is minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Talking about a game result.
게임 점수가 영점이에요.
My game score is zero points.
Planning to restart something.
영 시부터 다시 시작해요.
Let's start again from zero o'clock (from scratch).
Cultural Context
영 (yeong) is the Sino-Korean word for zero, commonly used in formal contexts like mathematics, phone numbers, addresses, and temperatures. While you might sometimes hear 공 (gong) used colloquially for 'zero' in phone numbers (similar to 'oh' in English), 영 is the standard and widely understood term. It's crucial for expressing numerical values precisely.
Editorial note
We review entries like 영 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
영점
zero points
영하
below zero (temperature)
영순위
zero priority (meaning top priority)
Related Expressions
공
gong
zero (often used in phone numbers)
없음
eopseum
none, absence
하나도
hanado
not even one, none at all
시작
sijak
start, beginning
More Numbers and Time Words
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