Tetraphobia

Tetraphobia

I have been so confused since I arrived in Shanghai as to why there is no floor numbers in buildings including the number 4. I have now learnt that this is down to ‘Tetraphobia’. This is the fear of the number 4. Apparently in most East Asian regions including China, Japan and Korea, the word for 4 (四 pronounced sì) sounds very similar to the word for death (死 pronounced sǐ). Apparently the Chinese military even try to avoid the unlucky number 4. It is interesting to see how businesses adapt to this superstition, however can be seen with Nokia who do not release any phone models that begin with the number 4, in East Asian nations. The company outwardly does this "as a polite gesture to Asian customers". Nice touch Nokia!