Why is there no 4th floor in Japan?
Because the number four is considered unlucky on such a broad scale, you'll see many examples of this fear in daily life across almost all East-Asian cultures. You never want to give four of something (try three or five instead). Elevators will often be missing a fourth floor.
According to superstition, the number is associated with dark magic, ghosts, demons, and other supernatural elements. Is 13th floor unlucky in India ? Many people in India believe living on the thirteenth floor will lead to disruptions in their life. In my opinion, this belief depends from person to person.
The Japanese word for the number four has two pronunciations, 'yon' and 'shi'. 'Shi' can also mean 'death'; 'shinu' is the verb 'to die'. As a result, the number four is considered unlucky, so they'll sometimes skip it when numbering hotel and hospital floors.
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.
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Rationale.
Language | Reading | |
---|---|---|
四 (four) | 死 (death) | |
Korean | sa | sa |
Japanese | shi | shi |
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 the Chinese culture, 14 is considered more unlucky than the individual 4, since 14 sounds like "will certainly die (實死)" in both Putunghua and Cantonese. Some buildings in Asia simply numbering it as "15" or "12B" or even "13A".
As per house number numerology, 13 is often avoided because it is considered to be the 'karma debt' number. Those who are interested in numerology will come across karmic debt collection numbers from time to time. These numbers are 13,14,16, and 19.
Many residents live on floor 13 and in fact many projects also have the 13th floor where people are living without any issues. Traditionally, number 13 may be considered unlucky, yet there is no relevance of this belief in the Indian context.
Like many countries throughout the world, Japan considers the number seven lucky. This is not imported, but steeped in the country's religious traditions.
What is 8th floor in Japanese?
The Japanese word for the eighth floor is 8階 (はちかい – hachikai). Another way to say the eighth floor in Japanese is 8階 (はっかい – hakkai).
I think to most people in Japan the 13th floor apartments are known as the ones that lie directly above the 12th floor and often (but not always) sits below a 14th floor ;) Now apartment number 964, that's a number that might make the more superstitious in Japan raise an eyebrow.

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".
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Lucky Floor Numbers for Apartment in Feng Shui.
Zodiac Sign | Five Element |
---|---|
Snake, Horse | Fire |
Ox, Dragon, Sheep, Dog | Earth |
The number 0 (零, pinyin: líng) is the beginning of all things and is generally considered a good number, because it sounds like 'ling', which means 'good'.
In Japan, four and nine are considered unlucky numbers because of their pronunciation. Four is pronounced "shi," which is the same pronunciation as death. Nine is pronounced "ku," which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture. In fact, some hospitals and apartments don't have rooms numbered "4" or "9".
Astroyogi.com astrologers agree that the natural attraction is inevitable, despite the fact that it brings heartbreak and disappointments. By keeping 4 and 8 numbers on the point of you, you intensify the negative impact of the numbers. it's going to cause losses and unhealthy luck.
No. Although the 13th number is considered unlucky as per western superstition, there is no such belief in vaastu shastra that buying a flat on 13th floor is unlucky.
In many East Asian cultures, including China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, the number 4 is considered unlucky. If you step onto an elevator, you probably won't see a button indicating the fourth floor because most apartment buildings and hospitals skip the number altogether.
4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5.
What number does represent death?
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.
In Italian culture, the number 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagrammatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language translates to "I lived", the perfect implying "My life is over." (c.f. "Vixerunt", Cicero's famous announcement of an execution.)
Vastu is unrelated to the “8th” floor; numerology is. The eighth-floor flat will be extremely lucky if Saturn is well-placed in your astrological chart because that number is associated with the planet. Along with worldly advantages, it can bring great wealth and spiritual advancement.
The thirteenth floor is a designation of a level of a multi-level building that is often omitted in countries where the number 13 is considered unlucky.
House number 4 is lucky for someone passionate about their life goals and breaking boundaries to achieve them. Home Numerology number 4 gives a very positive vibe which helps a person to stay disciplined and take responsibility.
Numbers such as 3, 6, 8, 9, 11 and house number 38 numerology are all considered as lucky numbers for residential properties such as houses.
The number four is believed to be unlucky because it sounds a lot like the word “death” in Chinese. Assuming you got a an accessible property and a wonderful home on it. However, the address is equal to a four.
The number 7 is often considered lucky, and it has a definite mystique, perhaps because it is a prime number—that is, it cannot be obtained by multiplying two smaller numbers together.
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.
This unique combination makes the number 14 have a lot of power and potential. It is a very lucky number and can be your life path number if you listen to the messages from your guardian angels, especially at mirror hour!
Is 3 unlucky in Japan?
It is known that Japanese tend to be superstitious. There are certain things or circumstances that are uniquely explained sometimes through superstitious beliefs. One of those things are the concept about Lucky Numbers! Did you know that the number 3 is considered as one of the lucky numbers in Japan?
Number Forty-Two (42) — Number 42 is considered unlucky because the pronunciation is similar to the word Shini which means to die so it is usually avoided as it is believed to cause untimely death.
Numeral | Sino-Japanese | Ordinal |
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14 | 十四(jū yon) | 十四番目(jū yon banme) |
15 | 十五(jū go) | 十五番目(jū go banme) |
16 | 十六(jū roku) | 十六番目(jū roku banme) |
17 | 十七(jū nana) | 十七番目(jū nana banme) |
7. しち、なな (shichi, nana) 七 ななつ (nanatsu)
Specifying the Floor of a Building
The first floor would be 1階, the third floor 3階, and the hundredth floor 100階. Easy!
The floor immediately below the ground floor/s is the 'Basement'. There may be instances where it is referred to as 'Lower Level' (a non-preferred term).
In the Philippines, many buildings just choose to skip the 13th floor altogether, perhaps because of the fact that so many of our countrymen are superstitious to the point that they will refuse to set foot there, much less stay there (if it's a hotel) or work there (if it's an office building).
We all know about the bad luck superstitions with the number 13 and how some hotels don't have a 13th floor. It seems that lately, that more hotels are recklessly plunging ahead with a 13th floor. The number 4 in Cantonese is phonetically similar to death and is considered to be bad luck.
Unlucky numbers
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".
The Japanese don't like the number 4 and 9 because, of their pronunciation. Four is pronounced "shi" which is the same pronunciation as death. Nine is prononced "ku" which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture.
Why do buildings skip the 4th floor?
Some of unlucky floor numbers like four (4) and thirteen (13) are omitted for some cultures recognizes some numbers meant for bad things. Some of the building owners may don't care about the unlucky floor numbers.
Another unlucky number is 6. Its' pronunciation as a counting number is muttsu. This can sound like the word for nothingness, 無 (mu). Gate numbers for airports, stadiums, and railway platforms avoid the number 6 for this reason.
Lucky seven
This is not imported, but steeped in the country's religious traditions. Seven is an important number in Buddhism. Japanese Buddhists celebrate a baby's seventh day and mourn the seventh day after a person dies when the soul is said to cross over.
Japanese Culture
In Japan, the number eight is also considered lucky, but the reason is a bit different from that in Chinese ethos. The Japanese favor the number because of the shape of the character (八) The symbol broadens gradually, giving an idea of growth linked with prosperity.
8. はち (hachi) 八 やっつ (yattsu) 八つ
It is an old superstition that 13 is an unlucky number.
No. Although the 13th number is considered unlucky as per western superstition, there is no such belief in vaastu shastra that buying a flat on 13th floor is unlucky.
Always knock before entering your room
Perhaps they'll get out. It's just a symbolic respectful gesture that requires no effort else you might have some company at night. You might also want to follow up with a simple phrase like “I come in peace and mean no harm…”, just to reassure yourself more.
The third floor
After the first floor, this is the floor which sees the highest demand among home buyers.
When a building does collapse, the safest place to be is on the top floor, and the most dangerous is the ground level.