Coincidently or not, in Korea, there are also lucky numbers, like 7, which are believed to bring good luck, and bad numbers like 4, which are widely avoided.
In South Korea, it's four. The reason behind the fear of the number four, known as tetraphobia, lies in the way it sounds. The Korean word for "four" sounds much like their word for "death."
#7 Although in the west 7 is considered lucky in many countries, in the east particularly China, Thailand and Vietnam it is considered unlucky.
Seven can also be considered an unlucky number since the 7th month (July) is a "ghost month". It also sounds like "to deceive" (欺, pinyin: qī) in Mandarin.
The term "samjae" means three years of misfortune, based on zodiac birth signs. In the old days, people attributed samjae to the disasters of war, infectious disease and famine. It also implied calamities such as fire, flood and wind.
Coincidently or not, in Korea, there are also lucky numbers, like 7, which are believed to bring good luck, and bad numbers like 4, which are widely avoided.
The Pig was considered an auspicious animal that can bring great fortune. # 3 The origin of pigs in Korea: Pigs had lived in the Korean Peninsula for a very long time.
Seven is a lucky number in Japan largely because of its significance in Buddhism. Additionally, seven is used with the Seven Gods of Luck (七福神). Eight is a less popular yet still lucky number. In Japan, fans are a sign of wealth and prosperity, because it spreads from narrow to broad, meant to reflect wealth.
In the Bible, scholars claim that God created the world in six days and used the seventh day to rest. Because of this, the number seven is used to illustrate an idea of completeness throughout the Bible. In both Islam and Judaism, there are seven heavens.
The seven Classical planets resulted in seven being the number of days in a week. It is often considered lucky in Western culture and is often seen as highly symbolic.
But: FOUR is a lucky number in Europe, North America and Australia. The FOUR-leaf clover is a symbol of luck.
The Number 7
On one hand, the sound of the Chinese word for 7 (七 qī) corresponds with that of positive words like 齊 (qí; uniform, even), 气 (qì; life force, energy) and 起 (qǐ; to stand up). Seven is thus usually considered a lucky number for relationships.
Korean Lucky Numbers
Similar to many Asian cultures, specific numbers are said to be associated with luck and prosperity. In Korea, numbers like 8, 9, and 3 are often considered lucky.
This is traditionally taboo because the color red to Koreans used to symbolize death. The belief was that if a person's name was written in red, death or bad luck would come soon.
Writing someone's name in RED. In Korea it is believed that writing someone's name in red ink denotes threat, bad luck or death. It is also often interpreted as wanting the person dead.
This isn't just a random date, as November 11 was chosen specifically because 11/11 looks like Pepero sticks! Along with that is the idea that to become tall and thin like the thin Pepero stick, 11 packets of Pepero must be eaten on November 11, at 11:11 am and 11:11 pm, in exactly 11 seconds.
Seven was symbolic in ancient near eastern and Israelite culture and literature. It communicated a sense of “fullness” or “completeness” (שבע “seven” is spelled with the same consonants as the word שבע “complete/full”). This makes sense of the pervasive appearance of “seven” patterns in the Bible.
7 七, QĪ- LUCKY/UNLUCKY
Like 5, 7 has both positive and negative connotations in Chinese culture. For the positive side, 七 sounds like both 起 (qǐ), which means “start” or “rise”, and also 气 (qì), which means “vital energy”. Seven is also seen as a lucky number for relationships.
In many cultures around the world, seven is considered a lucky number. This probably explains the affinity many people feel for the number seven. Some scientists and mathematicians also believe there are some interesting properties of the number itself that also make it alluring.
7 in Chinese Culture. In the traditional Chinese culture, Seven represents the combination of Yin, Yang and Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth). This combination is considered as “harmony” in the ideology of Confucianism.
Biblical Origins
In the Book of Genesis, the word “Creation” is said exactly seven times. And if we take the views of the Bible into account then The Lord created the world in 6 days which means that the 7th day was for him to rest; the seven day week has since been universally accepted.
8 is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because his pronunciation “Ba” sounds similar to the word “fa”, which means to make fortune. The number 8 is associated with wealth, prosperity, success and status and for this reason business men favor it very much.
Blue and red symbolized life itself as they respectively represented south and east, which receive solar energy. That is why people believed that choosing red and blue in weddings would chase away negative energy and spirits.
Maneki-neko are sometimes referred to simply as "lucky cats" or "calling cats".
There are 12 animals in the Korean Zodiac. These are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. As mentioned earlier, the year of an animal repeats every twelve years, and it follows the order of the animals listed above.