nialas
In Irish, the word for the cardinal number zero is nialas. Wiktionary also lists neamhní and náid.
Meaning: cardinal number before 1, denoting nothing (num)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| nialas | ||
| neamhní | [nʲævʲˈnʲiː] (Munster, narrow) | |
| náid | /n̪ˠɑːdʲ/ (Connacht, Munster) /n̪ˠæːdʲ/ (Ulster) |
feminine |
The term is used to denote the number before 1, representing nothing. When referring to the numeric symbol of zero itself, use nialas. If you wish to describe a person of little importance, you might use donán or truán instead.
Which one should you use?
While nialas is the standard form, neamhní and náid are also forms of the word. náid is a feminine noun.
Related words
Did you know?
- In traditional Irish counting, the number zero was not used as a cardinal number in the way English speakers use it today, as the language focuses more on quantities that actually exist.
- While 'zero' is a number, the Irish word neamhní is built from neamh, which can also relate to the concept of 'heaven' or 'sky'.
- The Irish word nialas is a direct linguistic descendant of the Latin word 'nihil', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'nihilism'.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Siobhán and Conor are checking the temperature.
- SiobhánAn bhfuil sé fuar thall?Is it cold out there?
- ConorTá, tá sé nialas anois.Yes, it is zero now.
- SiobhánAn bhfuil sneachta ann?Is there snow there?
- ConorNíl aon sneachta ann.There is no snow there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “zero” translations and entries nialas, neamhní, náid, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries neamhní, nialas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
