Tetraphobia (from other Greek. Τετράς - “four” and φόβος - “fear”) is an irrational fear of the number 4 , usually considered prejudice . This superstition is prevalent mainly in East Asian countries such as China , Japan, and Korea [1] . The cause of the phobia is the pronunciation of the Chinese character meaning “four”: “sy” ( Chinese. 四 ), almost the same as the words “death” ( 死 ), they differ only in tones . In Korean and Japanese , these words with minor changes in pronunciation came from Chinese.
Superstition is so prevalent in these countries that in hospitals and public institutions floors with rooms ending in four are almost always absent. Moreover, as a tribute to guests from the West, sometimes the number 13 is also missing, as a result of which the building may seem noticeably “higher” than it actually is. Silence of the number “four” is also accepted in the family circle, especially when one of the relatives is unwell. Mobile phone numbers ending in four or having many fours in their composition, cost mobile operators much cheaper than others.
Nokia does not use the number 4 in the names of models of cell phones designed for Asian markets.
One of the characters in the anime and manga " JoJo's Bizarre Adventure " Guido Mista suffers from tetraphobia.
A similar, but more common fear in the Western world of the number 13 is called " triskaidekaphobia ."
Links
- ↑ Havil, Julian. Nonplussed: Mathematical Proof of Implausible Ideas (Hardcover). - Princeton University Press, 2007 .-- P. 153. - ISBN 0691120560 .