A superstitious suburb of Toronto has outlawed the number four from its postal addresses because its translation into Cantonese and Mandarin rings too much of the word “death.”
The area is home to many Cantonese — but it’s not only Asians who are turning their backs on the number.
“It’s funny, I had a young Italian couple and they were worried about the number four on their property,” one real estate agent said in the Toronto Star. “They hear four is no good. It’s really not a big deal, but some people know a bit, and all of a sudden it becomes stigmatized.”
Numbers that contain the digit 4 — such as 14 or 24, for example — will still be used. But residents who currently live in homes that are marked solely 4 can now add a letter and make their home number 4A or 4B, Newser reported. And all new addresses will avoid using the single digit, the media outlet said.
The same suburb also bans use of 13, Newser reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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