Lucky And Unlucky Numbers In Japan, Usage Notes That Avoid Confusion
Here is the simple truth. Some numbers feel bad in Japanese, and some feel good. The feelings come from sound, old beliefs, and daily habits. You do not need folklore to speak well. You need clean readings and a few rules that keep you out of trouble. Use よん not し for four in most speech. Use なな not しち in most speech. Use きゅう not く in most speech. Keep the fixed forms for time and months. When you follow these steps your Japanese sounds natural and you avoid the lines that make native listeners tense.
Unlucky numbers and why they feel heavy
| Number | Reading | Reason | Safer swap in speech |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | し | Homophone with 死 which means death. Avoid in casual readings. | よん for counting and tens. Example よんじゅう not しじゅう. |
| 9 | く | Close to 苦 which means suffering. Some buildings skip 9 in rooms. | きゅう for counting and tens. Example きゅうじゅう. |
| 42 | し に | Sounds like 死に which means to die. Plate numbers and wards sometimes avoid it. | Say よんじゅうに with よん. |
| 49 | し く | Sounds like 死苦 which suggests death and pain. Seen as very unlucky by some. | Say よんじゅうきゅう. |
| 444 | し し し | Stack of 4 can feel very bad to some people. Hospitals often avoid room 444. | Use よん よん よん in speech if you must spell it. |
Lucky numbers and why people like them
| Number | Reading | Reason people like it | Use cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | なな | Seven gods of fortune. Summer festival 七夕. Slot signs use 777 for a win. | Seats in draw, promo codes, birthdays, product names. |
| 8 | はち | Shape spreads wide like growth. Many shops like 8 and 88 in prices. | Price tags 888円, campaign dates, brand labels. |
| 3 | さん | Clean rhythm in Japanese. 三々五々 is a common phrase. Gift packs in 3 feel neat. | Set menus, course levels, bundle sizes. |
| 108 | ひゃく はち | Buddhist count of earthly desires. Bells ring 108 times on New Year’s Eve. | Year end ads, charity runs, cultural events. |
| 39 | さん きゅう | Reads like thank you in English. Used as a playful code. | Coupon names, campaign codes, signs in casual spaces. |
Keep these fixed readings even if the sound feels unlucky
Some words have fixed forms. Use them. Native listeners expect them and will not map them to bad luck in that context.
| Domain | Form | Reading | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months | 四月 | しがつ | April is しがつ. Do not say よんがつ. |
| Months | 七月 | しちがつ | July is しちがつ. なながつ is not standard. |
| Months | 九月 | くがつ | September is くがつ. きゅうがつ is not used. |
| Time | 4時 | よじ | Special sound shift. Not しじ. |
| Time | 7時 | しちじ | Most common in broadcast and transit. ななじ is also heard. |
| Time | 9時 | くじ | Fixed form for clocks. Use く here. |
| Classic phrase | 七人の侍 | しちにん の さむらい | Famous title uses しち. Respect the set form. |
Usage notes that avoid confusion in daily talk
Counting things with counters
Use よん with counters. Example よんこ four pieces, よんまい four sheets, よんほん four long things. Use なな with counters for seven. Example ななこ ななまい ななほん. Use きゅう for nine. Example きゅうこ きゅうまい きゅうほん. These are clear and do not trip the listener.
Minutes follow a set. Examples that matter for clarity are よんぷん 4 minutes, ななふん 7 minutes, きゅうふん 9 minutes. Keep the short pause in ろっぷん 6 minutes and じゅっぷん 10 minutes.
Phone numbers and IDs
Read digit by digit. Prefer れい for zero in formal reads or まる in casual. For 4 say よん. For 7 say なな. For 9 say きゅう. Split long strings into clean blocks. Example 03 きゅう ろく ろく きゅう まる まる. This avoids the unlucky homophones and keeps every digit distinct.
Gifts and numbers in sets
When you give a set of items, pick an odd count or a friendly count. Three and five feel neat. Four can feel harsh. Nine can feel harsh. Eight feels strong. Seven feels lucky. For bills inside envelopes the printed money value does not follow these tastes. The set size does. For flowers, sweets, and small goods a set of three or eight is safe in many homes. For memorials, families follow local practice. If you are unsure ask the host.
Buildings, rooms, plates, and labeling
Some hospitals and hotels skip 4 in floors and rooms. Some parking lots skip 4 or 9 in slots. Some apartments skip 42 and 49 in unit numbers. This is a choice, not a law. You will still see these numbers in many places. In speech adopt the clear reading even when the printed number uses 4 or 9. Your job is clarity. Say よんかい or the fixed よじ for time. Say きゅうじゅうよん for 94. If someone seems tense about a number, offer to pick the next one and move on.
Clean swaps you can trust
| Target | Avoid | Say instead | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four in free counting | し | よん | よんまい よんこ よんじゅう |
| Seven in free counting | しち | なな | ななまい ななこ ななじゅう |
| Nine in free counting | く | きゅう | きゅうまい きゅうこ きゅうじゅう |
| Zero in phone reads | ゼロ | れい or まる | れい なな ご よん or まる なな ご よん |
| Time reads | しじ くじ | よじ くじ | 4 o’clock is よじ. 9 o’clock is くじ. |
Phrases you can copy today
四階はどちらですか Where is the fourth floor
四番線ですか Is it Platform four
四枚お願いします Four tickets please
九時に伺います I will come at nine
四月の予定です The plan is in April
七月に帰国します I return in July
九月の予約です The booking is in September
七個でお願いします Seven pieces please
Common traps and how to step around them
- Trap you say し in a price and the listener flinches. Fix say よん in prices and in counts. Keep し only for fixed forms like しがつ.
- Trap you read a phone number with しち and く and get asked to repeat. Fix switch to なな and きゅう for phone reads. Use れい or まる for zero.
- Trap you avoid くじ because of luck and say きゅうじ. Fix time has fixed forms. Say くじ.
- Trap you think 13 is unlucky and try to dodge it. Fix 13 is neutral for most people in Japan. Speak it as じゅうさん and move on.
- Trap you guess that 14 must be bad in Japanese. Fix say じゅうよん. The reading does not sound like death. It is fine in normal use.
