You’re driving along a thoroughfare in Japan when you find yourself behind a car, in which the last four digits of its license plate are 2525. The proper response is to return the smile, since 2525 is meant to be pronounced niko-niko — Japanese onomatopoeia for a happy smile.
Another number often appearing on license plates is 1122, which can be read ii fufu, signifying a happily married couple.
Friday (April 17-24) takes a look at the most desirable numbers for automobile license plates. For instance, vehicles owned by butcher shops might have a plate with the numbers 1129, which reads ii niku (nice meat). And afficionados of Finnish bathing practices might sport the number 1137, which can be read ii sauna (nice sauna). On the other hand, the popular number 1188 can be read ii papa (nice daddy).
To fully appreciate Japanese numerology, one needs to become familiarized with the way people engage in wordplay utilizing the multiple ways numbers can be pronounced. Other languages have this to some degree, but Japanese is particularly rich, as in addition to native and Chinese-based readings the system also incorporates English. The number 1, for example, can be pronounced “ichi,” “i,” “hito,” “hi” and “wan” (from the English one). Number 2 can be read as “futa,” “fu,” “ni,” and “tsu.” And so on.
Numbers can be assembled in any combination, and since they can be harnessed to represent calendar dates or telephone numbers, serve as a powerful mnemonic. To name one well known example, students of English literature can easily memorize the years of William Shakespeare’s birth and death, 1564-1616, by reading those eight numbers as hitogoroshi (mo) iroiro, which translates as “also (mo) a variety (iroiro) of murders (hitogoroshi)” — clearly a reference to dramatis personae in the Bard’s tragedies.
Another thing to keep in mind is that numbers, both singly and in combination, can be regarded as lucky or unlucky. You probably know that in Japan the number four is to be avoided, since shi is a homophone for death. Sets of cookies, for example, are always packaged in threes or fives. The elevator buttons in hotels and other buildings even jump from the third floor to the fifth. And the number 4989 is definitely to be avoided, since it can be read shiku-hakku, a Buddhist term meaning suffering and hardship.
Number 8, on the other hand, is regarded as particularly auspicious because the Chinese character for 8, 八 (hachi), widens at the bottom, symbolizing suehiro (increasing prosperity).
According to the Zenkoku Hyoban Kyogikai (National Automobile License Plate Council), one of the most popular plate numbers includes 8008, in which the two zeroes between the eights are said to resemble which is the mathematical symbol for infinity.
And then there’s 358, the so-called “angel number,” which according to fengshui (geomancy), features the lucky numbers 3 and 5, followed by an 8, signifying a widening or increase.
As of 2020, 133 distinct regional place names appear on Japanese license plates, covering the nation’s 47 prefectures, along with over 100 total issuing municipalities. Tokyo alone has eight primary vehicle license plate designations (Shinagawa, Adachi, Nerima, Tama, Hachioji, Setagaya, Suginami and Koto).
Nonetheless to obtain the most desired numbers, a certain amount of luck is required, as numbers with multiple applicants are typically selected by random drawings.
“Some customers do not specify a desired license plate number when purchasing a vehicle,” a salesman at a car dealership in Tokyo tells the magazine. “As a dealership, we want to avoid situations where customers who apply without specifying a number wind up with an unlucky number, like 4989. So in such cases, a dealer may assign 358 without charging extra for it.”
© Japan Today
Source : https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/you-too-can-have-a-lucky-license-plate
