I got into an elevator, and the buttons read 1, 2, 3, F, 5. Where did the 4th floor go? A foreign student once asked me this. ## Why is 4 an F? In Korean, the number 4 is read as '사'. But '사(死)', which means death, sounds the same. So many buildings use F, the first letter of the English word "Four," instead of 4. Some buildings skip the 4th floor altogether. ## Why avoid it just because it sounds the same? Koreans have long believed that words carry power. They feel that if you say something unlucky out loud, bad things will follow. So before something important, people are careful about words that sound ominous. ## Why are we more careful at home? A house is something you hand over to the next person after you've lived in it. Even if you don't mind, the next person might dislike the 4th floor. Then the house doesn't sell well. Because of that worry, building owners get rid of the 4th floor. In the end, this is less about belief than about calculating "the feelings of the next person." Try this when you look for a place to live. - Even if it says 5th floor, it might actually be the 4th floor. Check the actual floor on the contract and on the building directory. - Be sure to ask about humidity and security on the 1st floor, and about summer heat and the risk of roof leaks on the top floor. When Koreans look at the floor number, they look at the number and also at who will use the home next.