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lucky number japan

Avoid using them! Japanese unlucky numbers

2020-07-07 by Taka

There are superstitions in almost everywhere in the world and Japan is no exception. Many Japanese superstitions have been imported from different countries especially from China and they are meant to teach or advise people. Most of them are related to language or based on the animistic beliefs from Shinto. Let’s take a look at some of the most common unlucky numbers that you should avoid in Japan or when you communicate with Japanese people.

Unlucky numbers

Number 4

It is unlucky because the pronunciation of it is “Shi”, which is the same for the word for death (死). 4th floor or rooms with the number don’t exist in most hotels and hospitals to avoid bringing in bad luck to the area, and most companies avoid using consecutive number of 4 for their phone numbers. 42 and 49 are usually not used for cars and racing because they sound Shi-ni:To death (死に) and Shi-ku:To run over/To suffer death(轢く,死苦). In order to avoid the “Shi” pronunciation, the number is often read as “Yon”.

Number 6

A homophone of this number, “Mu” means Nothing/Empty. The number 6 is not popular for number plates for cars and railway platform. Number 6 is often read as “Roku” in order not to let the energy around disappear in emptiness.

Number 9

It is read as “Ku”, which means “Torture/Agony/Suffer in pain”. In order to avoid the “Ku” pronunciation, people often change the pronunciation of it to “Kyu”, which is the same sound as 休/救:Relief/Save.

It is the best not to use these numbers in Japan or when you are talking to a Japanese. In addition to 4,6,and 9 numbers, even numbers are considered bad for weddings because they can be divided in half. To wish the couple won’t be divorced and separated, odd numbers are preferred at the occasion. For the same kind of reason, people use odd numbers at a funeral to wish the relationship between the deceased and the rest of the family will not be cut.

Lucky numbers are 7, 8, and 10. 7 is pronounced “Shichi” ,and it is traditionally believed as a lucky number. 8 is read as “Hachi”, which sounds similar to the word Han-ei(繁栄):Prosperity. The sound for 10 is “Ju”, which is a homophone for the word Enough/Replete/Ample.

Thank you for reading today’s post. 
See you next time!
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my music below.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me: [email protected]

Filed Under: Culture Tagged With: common japanese superstitions, japanese superstitions, japanese superstitions about death, japanese superstitions number four, japanese superstitions unlucky, lucky number japan, unlucky number in japan, what number is unlucky in japan, what to avoid in japan, 不吉な数, 忌数, 日本文化

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Taka/原貴浩

Taka吉祥寺出身の元大手英会話学校教務主任、作曲家、コンテンツ開発/編集者。高校生の時に出会ったアメリカ人の英語の先生がきっかけで英語や海外文化に興味を持つようになり、18歳で単身アメリカのフロリダ州へ音楽留学、主席で卒業。帰国後は舞台や楽曲制作などエンタメ業界に関わりながら長年英会話の講師として務め、英語関連の書籍や音声/動画コンテンツの制作、編集なども行っている。コロナ禍前に岐阜県の高山に移住し、同市の英語講師、通訳案内士やゲストハウスの立ち上げを行いながら、外国人移住者と地域住民との架け橋となる多文化共生支援団体、Family Planet Japanの代表としても活動。英語や音楽を通した人とのつながり作りや、まちづくりにも精力的に関わっている。 Introduction

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