Lucky numbers around the world

152222 Number Lab editors · 7 min read

Some of the most expensive decisions in the world — building floors, licence plates, wedding dates, Olympic opening times — have been shaped by single digits.

Number	Where	Why
8	China & diaspora	"Bā" sounds like "fā" (to prosper). The Beijing Olympics opened at 8:08 pm on 8/8/2008.
4	China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam	Sounds like the word for death. Many buildings skip 4th or 14th floor labels; Korean lifts often show "F" instead.
9	Japan (unlucky) · China & Thailand (lucky)	In Japanese "ku" can mean suffering; in Chinese "jiǔ" sounds like "long-lasting", and in Thai "kâo" sounds like "progress".
13	Western countries	Triskaidekaphobia; many hotels and towers skip a 13th floor, and Friday the 13th is a well-known superstition.
17	Italy	XVII rearranges to VIXI, Latin for "I have lived" — i.e. I am dead.
7	Global	Seven days, seven wonders, lucky sevens on slot machines — often voted the world's favourite number.
786	South Asia (Muslim communities)	The abjad total of "Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim"; sought after in phone numbers, plates and currency notes.
101, 501, 1001	India	Shagun gift amounts end in 1 so the gift doesn't end on zero — a wish for continuity.
520	China	"Wǔ èr líng" resembles "wǒ ài nǐ" (I love you); 20 May has become an unofficial lovers' day.
2	China & Western numerology	"Good things come in pairs"; harmony and partnership. Doubled digits, like the 2222 in 152222, are popular.

Real economic effects

Number beliefs move real money. Licence plates with lucky digits have sold for very large sums at government auctions in Hong Kong and the Gulf; India's state transport departments auction choice numbers such as 0001 and 9999 every day. Researchers studying property markets in places with large Chinese-speaking populations have reported price premiums for addresses ending in 8 and discounts for those ending in 4. Phone operators, domain registries and airlines all price around these beliefs.

When cultures collide

A product numbered "4" may sell fine in Canada and poorly in Taiwan; a hotel without a 13th floor confuses nobody in New York but a skipped 4th floor might puzzle a visitor from Europe. If you name products, price items or design buildings for a global audience, check the digits.

Find the numbers that suit you with the lucky number generator, or decode any number in the decoder.