Why is there no 4th floor? Korean superstitions you'll actually see

You step into an elevator in Seoul and look at the buttons: 1, 2, 3, F, 5. Wait. Where did the 4th floor go?

It is still there. It just has a different name. Korea, like many places, has a few old beliefs that show up in everyday life. Not everyone believes them. But you will see them, so it helps to know the story. Let's take a short walk through a normal day.

In the elevator: the missing number

The reason is a sound. The Korean word for four is 사 (sa). The old Chinese-based word for death is also pronounced 사 (sa). Same sound, very different meaning.

An article on Korea.net explains that many buildings write F instead of 4 on the elevator button, so people do not feel uneasy. F stands for "four," so nothing is really missing.

This does not mean four is banned. You will still see 4 on prices, phone numbers and bus routes. The F button is just a quiet way to avoid an uneasy sound.

At the desk: never write a name in red

Here is one that surprises many visitors. In Korea, you should not write someone's name in red ink.

A columnist in The Korea Herald puts it simply: in Korea, names are written in red only after a person has died. Korea.net adds the old belief behind it: a name written in red was thought to bring death or bad luck.

So if you are writing a birthday card, a name tag or a note to a coworker, pick black or blue. If a Korean friend looks a little shocked at your red pen, now you know why. Red ink is still fine for other things, like a personal name stamp, called 도장 (dojang), which often uses red ink paste.

At bedtime: the famous "fan death"

Now for the most famous one. You may hear a warning like this: "Don't sleep with the fan on and the door closed. It could kill you!"

This belief is called 선풍기 사망설 (seonpunggi samangseol), or "fan death" in English. People gave different reasons: the fan uses up the air, or it makes your body too cold.

Scientists say there is no medical proof for this. A 2026 column in The Korea Times explains that fans do not cool a room. They only move the air, which helps sweat dry so you feel cooler. The same column says the belief was strongest among older people, and younger Koreans are much more skeptical today.

Still, the same column notes that fan timers remain common in Korea. A fan that turns itself off is a handy feature either way.

On exam day: sticky candy, no slippery soup

Exams are a big deal in Korea, and they come with their own beliefs. According to Korea.net, some people avoid 미역국 [미역꾹] (miyeokguk, seaweed soup) before a test. Seaweed is slippery, and nobody wants their score to "slip."

Instead, friends and family give 엿 [엳] (yeot), a sticky traditional candy. The idea is that the knowledge will "stick." It is a sweet way to say "good luck."

At the gift shop: think twice about shoes

Korea.net lists one more you may run into: giving shoes as a gift. The belief is that the person will put them on and walk away from you. If you want to give shoes anyway, there is no rule against it. It just helps to know why someone might laugh nervously.

Do Koreans really believe all this?

Not everyone, and not equally. As the fan death story shows, many younger people are skeptical. Often these beliefs live on as habits, jokes or "just to be safe." And small habits last a long time. The F button, the black pen for names and the fan timer are all part of daily life.

The easy rule for visitors: use black or blue ink for names, and smile at the F button. Everything else is a good story to ask your Korean friends about.