Abstract. Background: The numbers 4, 14 and 24 are associated with death for Cantonese-speaking Chinese people, as the words for these numbers sound like the words for "death", "must die" and "easy to die", respectively.
But the number four is considered unlucky because it sounds a lot like the word for “death,” and as a result Chinese buildings often lack a fourth floor (just as American buildings sometimes skip the 13th). Likewise, Chinese drivers avoid license plates ending in four.
Traditionally, 4 is unlucky because it is sometimes pronounced shi, which is the word for death. Sometimes levels or rooms with 4 don't exist in hospitals or hotels. Particularly in the maternity section of a hospital, the room number 43 is avoided because it can literally mean "stillbirth".
In Mainland China
The Chinese avoid phone numbers and addresses with fours because the pronunciation in "four" and "death" differ only in tone, especially when a combination with another number sounds similar to undesirable expressions. Example: “94” could be interpreted as being dead for a long time.
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." Some elevators in South Korea do not have the number 4.
Abstract. Background: The numbers 4, 14 and 24 are associated with death for Cantonese-speaking Chinese people, as the words for these numbers sound like the words for "death", "must die" and "easy to die", respectively.
In Vietnam, 4 is generally seen as an unlucky number, while 6 and 8 are lucky numbers. The reason is their similar pronunciation to words like “death” (tứ/tử), “money” (lục/lộc) or “development” (bát/phát) in the old Sino-Vietnamese language.
Many Chinese people do not want the number FOUR in their house number or phone number. But: FOUR is a lucky number in Europe, North America and Australia. The FOUR-leaf clover is a symbol of luck.
4: In China, the pronunciation of the word for the number four is similar to that of the Chinese word for death. Many buildings in China skip a fourth floor, just as U.S. builders sometimes omit floor 13.
666: Fear of 666 (hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia) is also widespread in Western cultures. The book of Revelation in the Bible lists 666 as the “number of the beast.” Many horror or doomsday films incorporate the number into plotlines as a mark of evil or the end of the world.
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.
42 is considered unlucky in Japan as it's pronunciation 'shini' is similar to their pronunciation of 'to death' or 'to Die'
Number 8 — the Luckiest Number in China
The number 8 is believed to be the luckiest number in China because '8' is associated with wealth. 'Eight' (八) in Chinese is pronounced ba and sounds similar to fa (发, traditional character: 發) as in facai (发财), meaning 'well-off' or 'becoming rich in a short time'.
Examples of Korean superstitions
The number 4 is a symbol of bad luck. In elevators, the letter F indicates the fourth floor instead of the number 4.
In feng shui, the number 4 meaning is considered unlucky since the word sounds like the Cantonese word for death. This is the only reason it is dubbed unlucky. The Chinese avoid using the number 4 in all areas of life, not wishing to invite the bad luck associated with this number.
Perhaps part of the answer lies in a seminal paper published in 1956 by the psychologist George A Miller called “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two”. Miller claims that it is more than just coincidence that the number 7 seems to be all around us.
"Almost from prehistoric times, the number four was employed to signify what was solid, what could be touched and felt. Its relationship to the cross (four points) made it an outstanding symbol of wholeness and universality, a symbol which drew all to itself".
Tetraphobia is an irrational fear of the number four and it's common in a lot of east Asian countries like China and Japan. The reason is quite simple, really – in a lot of east Asian languages, the word for “four” sounds a lot like the word for “death”. In fact, in some languages, they sound identical.
The number 4 is lucky in Germany because it is a number that is associated with balance and evenness. Germans tend to keep this number close to them, such as wearing it on sports jerseys or choosing it for their lottery numbers.
4 represents stability, order, conscientiousness and determination. Everything is made up of four elements-earth, water, air, and fire. 4 is a feminine number.
The Number 4
The same belief is true in Japan and South Korea, and other Asian countries where Chinese is spoken. But the belief is not applicable to Germany where the number is considered lucky, because it is associated with the ”four-leaf clover” which is a symbol for luck.
While in the musical scale, Four is pronounced Fa, the same sound with 发 (fortune) in Chinese. Therefore some people regard 4 as the propitious and lucky number in this case and there is an old saying in Chinese - 四季发财 (be wealthy all the year round).
Number 4 natives are considered as lucky and fortunate. They enjoy a good social status. They are far-sighted and thrifty, thus setting up a good bank balance is not a big task for them. Fault-finding, lack of light and positivity often put them down.
The number 3 is an unlucky number in relationships. In Mandarin, the number 3 can sound like the word “apart,” so it's bad luck if it involves weddings or romance in general. However, apart from situations regarding relationships, the 3 is considered neutral or even positive.
5 (五, WǓ) - LUCKY/UNLUCKY
The number 5 is associated with both good luck and bad luck depending on context. Since 五 sounds similar to 无 (wú), which means “not” or “without” in Chinese language, it can be viewed as bad luck.