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Many Japanese believe that the bad luck associated with some ages derives from puns that it is possible to make with their numerals. The numeral 33, for example, can be pronounced sanzan , which may mean either "troublesome" or "birth difficulty," the numeral 42 can be pronounced shi ni , meaning "to death," and the number 19 can be pronounced ...
However, unlike most other countries, in Japan, a black cat crossing one's path is considered to bring good luck. [2] A significant portion of Japanese superstition is related to language. Numbers and objects that have names that are homophones (Dōongo / Dōon Igigo (同音語 / 同音異義語), lit.
Breaking a mirror is said to bring seven years of bad luck [1]; A bird or flock of birds going from left to right () [citation needed]Certain numbers: The number 4.Fear of the number 4 is known as tetraphobia; in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, the number sounds like the word for "death".
A purported reason for this custom is a pun on the word for pine tree (松, matsu) and the verb 'to wait' (待つ, matsu), the idea being that the bad luck will wait by the tree rather than attach itself to the bearer. In the event of the fortune being good, the bearer has two options: they can also tie it to the tree or wires so that the ...
An elevator control panel in a residential apartment building in Shanghai with no floor numbered as the 4th The number 4 missing in a parking lot in Japan. Tetraphobia (from Ancient Greek τετράς (tetrás) 'four' and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) 'fear') is the practice of avoiding instances of the digit 4.
Maneki-neko with motorized arm beckons customers to buy lottery tickets in Tokyo, Japan. The maneki-neko (招き猫, lit. ' beckoning cat ') is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner.
Men in oni costumes often lead Japanese parades to dispel any bad luck, for example. Onigawara on the roof of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Japanese buildings sometimes include oni-faced roof tiles called onigawara , which are thought to ward away bad luck, much like gargoyles in Western tradition. [40]
The number 9 is also considered unlucky; when pronounced ku, it is a homophone for suffering (苦). The number 13 is sometimes considered unlucky, though this is a carryover from Western tradition. In contrast, 7 and sometimes 8 are considered lucky in Japanese. [2] In modern Japanese, cardinal numbers except 4 and 7 are generally given the on ...