The reciprocal of a number is defined as 1 divided by that number. Therefore, the reciprocal of 12 is:
\[ \frac{1}{12} \]
This can also be expressed as a decimal:
\[ \frac{1}{12} \approx 0.0833 \]
So, the reciprocal of 12 is \( \frac{1}{12} \) or approximately 0.0833.