Korean Lucky Numbers Similar to many Asian cultures, specific numbers are said to be associated with luck and prosperity. In Korea, numbers like 8, 9, and 3 are often considered lucky.
Coincidently or not, in Korea, there are also lucky numbers, like 7, which are believed to bring good luck, and bad numbers like 4, which are widely avoided.
3 is one of the luckiest numbers according to Korean superstitions. First, many may be aware of the sacred meaning of the number “3” in Christianity. Korea is actually a very Christian country, and so many believe that it is a holy number. Additionally, this number also occurs several times in Korean mythology.
Examples of Korean superstitions
The number 4 is a symbol of bad luck. In elevators, the letter F indicates the fourth floor instead of the number 4.
Koreans find the number 4 unlucky because it is associated with death. Numbers 3, 8 and 9 are considered lucky numbers, according to the blog, 90 Day Korean.
In South Korea, it's four. The reason behind the fear of the number four, known as tetraphobia, lies in the way it sounds. The Korean word for "four" sounds much like their word for "death."
The number seven is usually the overwhelming favorite. Why is that? In many cultures around the world, seven is considered a lucky number. This probably explains the affinity many people feel for the number seven.
After the Korean War, red came to be perceived as the color of communism, thus gaining a negative connotation, but since the 2002 World Cup, it has become a symbol of passion and the color that promotes social cohesion.
In the USA, the number 13 is considered unlucky. In Korea the unlucky number is 4. Four has been deemed unlucky in Korea because it sounds like the Chinese word for “death.” (This refers to four in Sino-Korean numbers, which is pronounced “sah.”) Four is also considered unlucky in China and Japan as well.
The seven Classical planets resulted in seven being the number of days in a week. It is often considered lucky in Western culture and is often seen as highly symbolic.
Korean Lucky Numbers
Similar to many Asian cultures, specific numbers are said to be associated with luck and prosperity. In Korea, numbers like 8, 9, and 3 are often considered lucky.
Bat designs has commonly been used as a decorative pattern on various places to symbolize fortune/luck, as fortune (福 fu) and bat (蝠 fu) are pronounced the same.
Due to these unlucky connotations, the numbers 4 and 9 are often pronounced yon and kyuu instead. The number 13 is occasionally thought of as unlucky, although this is imported from Western culture.
The number '7' is lucky for the BTS members
This number may be considered lucky when going for the jackpot. For the BTS members, though, the number 7 is especially symbolic. There are seven members that make up the group, (RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook.)
In Japan, the two main lucky numbers are seven (七) and eight (八). Curiously, unlike four, the reasons behind the two's luck have nothing to do with their pronunciation. Seven is a lucky number in Japan largely because of its significance in Buddhism. Additionally, seven is used with the Seven Gods of Luck (七福神).
The numbers 8, 2, 6, and 9 are the favorite lucky numbers of most Chinese people. Combinations of the above are deemed as lucky numbers too, such as 66, 88, 168.
This is traditionally taboo because the color red to Koreans used to symbolize death. The belief was that if a person's name was written in red, death or bad luck would come soon.
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.
The term "samjae" means three years of misfortune, based on zodiac birth signs. In the old days, people attributed samjae to the disasters of war, infectious disease and famine. It also implied calamities such as fire, flood and wind.
Love, passion, and romance are all connected to the color red. It is also linked to war, ruthlessness, and violence. The balance of red and blue has great meaning in Korean culture.
These five colors are blue, red, white, black, and yellow. You will find these colors to be prominent in 'Hanbok' (Korean traditional attire), Korean paintings, musical instruments and festivals, architecture, flags and traditional symbols, and of course – Korean food!
On The King's Affection, it is said that the birth of twins is a bad omen because the two look alike, so when one of them becomes the king, it may confuse the public into thinking there are two kings, causing chaos and unrest in the country.
Gambling and luck
777 is used on most slot machines in the United States to identify a jackpot. As it is considered a lucky number, banknotes with a serial number containing 777 tend to be valued by collectors and numismatists.
11: Lucky 12
Just as 13 is considered one of the unluckiest of all numbers, 12 is considered the rare lucky number that happens to also be even. The origins of this superstition are sketchy, but some sources suggest that 12 gained its lucky rep simply because it's so nicely divisible.
In the Realm of Numerology, the Five Luckiest Numbers are Considered to be 3, 7, 9, 11, and 13.