Bad Luck Files - Tetraphobia
This may seem a little bit odd to some of you who have never heard of it, but it's actually true. Tetraphobia is the aversion or fear of number 4 and is a superstition most common in East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. But probably most of you are now thinking "what's wrong with our dearest friend 4 ? ". The answer is pretty simple... it can be consider a "bad luck sign" because of its sound . In Chinese, the word indicating the "four" ( 四 ,pinyin: sì, jyutping, sei), sounds very similar to the word "death" ( 死 , pinyin: sǐ,jyutping, sei), in many forms of spoken Chinese. In the same way, in Japanese and in Korean, words that indicate the four, shi (Japanese) and sa ( 사 , Korean), sound identical to death in both languages. Particular care is taken to avoid occurrences or allusions to the number 4 during festive holidays, parties, or when a family member is sick, especially in Chinese culture. The nu...