Monday, December 10, 2012

17

17 is an unlucky number in Italy, probably because in Roman digits 17 is written XVII, that could be rearranged to "VIXI", which in Latin means "I have lived" but can be a euphemism for "I am dead."

3 comments:

  1. In Japan, it's the number 4. This is because one way of saying the word for "4" is "shi". Written with a different kanji, the pictogram writing symbols that the Japanese have adopted and adapted from China, the word "shi" means death. So there are many buildings in Japan without a 4th floor. This link says that 9 is also considered unlucky, though I didn't hear anyone say that while I was there.

    http://japanese.about.com/blqow7.htm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I either already covered 4, or have one in the queue to post.

      Delete
    2. I either already covered 4, or have one in the queue to post.

      Delete