What does 13 mean in Korean culture?
David Mccullough
Published Jan 06, 2026
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.
unlucky number
The number 13 is considered an unlucky number in some countries. The end of the Mayan calendar's 13th Baktun was superstitiously feared as a harbinger of the apocalyptic 2012 phenomenon. Fear of the number 13 has a specifically recognized phobia, triskaidekaphobia, a word first recorded in 1911.
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Is 13 an unlucky number in Korea?
Every culture has a number considered unlucky because of superstitions. In the United States it's 13. In South Korea, it's four. The reason behind the fear of the number four, known as tetraphobia, lies in the way it sounds.What number is lucky in Korea?
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.What is the unluckiest number in South Korea?
Examples of Korean superstitionsThe number 4 is a symbol of bad luck. In elevators, the letter F indicates the fourth floor instead of the number 4.
Why are Koreans afraid of the number 4?
In South KoreaThe number 4 sounds like the hanja for "death" (사) (although Korean has no tones), so the floor number 4 or room number 4 is almost always skipped in hospitals, funeral halls, and similar public buildings.