In China, the pronouncing of the word for the number four, is very similar to the Chinese word for death.
The number 4
四/Sì
Four in Chinese: 四pinyin pronounciation: sìAmerican pronounciation: ssss (or for some people, ssuh)How to write it:丨冂囗四
四 (si4) The Chinese do not like to use the number 4 because we perceive it as unlucky (just like how American's view the number 13). The reason is that it is pronounced very similar to 死 (si3) which is death.
In China it's an unlucky number, cause the sound of 4 resembles the sound of death. You will not find Chinese phone numbers containing the digit 4.
In Chinese and Japanese the pronunciation of the number four is very similar if not identical to the word for "death" (死) and thus is not a very popular to be associated with as it may invite death to the door of the person and their families.
The number 4
四
4, 四 or 肆
4
四/Sì
Four in Chinese: 四pinyin pronounciation: sìAmerican pronounciation: ssss (or for some people, ssuh)How to write it:丨冂囗四
In Chinese, the pronunciation for the number 4 and the word "death" are very close together and sound almost the same. In China, many buildings will avoid labeling a 4th floor, skipping instead to the number 5. (The same as some other countries skip the number 13 and replace it with 14)
Saying the number 4 is okay on Chinese New Year, but it is considered unlucky by some Cantonese speakers since 4 is called å›› in Chinese and that sounds like æ­», which means death. It's fine with other Chinese who don't speak Cantonese.
Many reasons... 1. Some people hate the other people who were born in day 7 or month 7 2. Some cultures, number 7 is a bad luck 3. Some people had a bad events in day 7 or month 7 4 Because the 7/7/2007 London's bomb.. i guess!
The number 4 in Chinese is 四, which is pronounced as "Si". This word is rather similar to the word 死, which means death. This is why the number four is considered as a bad omen, or a unlucky number. Some buildings doesn't have the fourth floors, or any floors with the number 4 in it.
Number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese because it is homophonous (sounds like) "death" in Chinese. In general numerology, a person with 4 on their charts is considered to be hard-working, salt of the earth, and dependable.