Numerical superstitions

Living in Thailand, I noticed that the 13th floor was commonly missing in the apartment buildings. Instead, the 13th floor was called 12A. That is due to the triskaidekaphobia (superstition regarding the number thirteen), and most of the developers try to avoid it. This is not unique to Thailand, it’s common around the globe.

Many buildings in China would skip the 4th floor or any floor that contains the number 4 ( 4, 14, 24, 34...) because it sounds similar to the Chinese word for death. This is also true for the Chinese developments overseas, like in Canada or South East Asia, where all the floors with #4 and #13 could be missing. Luckily authorities stopped issuing permits for such developments due to fire safety reasons.

Number 9 is feared in Japan because it sounds similar to the word for torture or suffering.