Watch Out For Number 4 Discussion

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Wow, this is really interesting. I'm going to make sure I primarily know よん and なな.

I heard somewhere that counting forward will use one word, but counting backwards will use the other. So it's good to know both depending upon what you're doing.

When I lived there I always said よん for 4. Never had a problem.

Uhm, they do usually pronounce 4 as よん to prevent it from sounding bad. Same with 7 usually is なな, unless it's in time like しちじ, which is seven o'clock, etc. Even though some use the other ways of pronouncing the two as well.

The number seven is also unlucky, as one of the pronunciations is しち, which also sounds like the word for death ( 死 / しに ). In Japan, they will not put the number 42 or 7 on license plates for vehicles, as no one wants death by accident. 42, although read as よんじゅうに (forty-two) appears as しに (four two).