Why do some Korean elevators label the fourth floor F?

In Sino-Korean, four and the character for death are both pronounced sa. Because of that association, some buildings label the fourth floor F instead of 4.

WHY F?

F marks the fourth floor without displaying the number 4. The practice is not universal, but it can still be seen in Korean buildings.

A FAMILIAR COMPARISON

It is comparable to the way some buildings in Western countries omit the number 13 from their floor labels.

Sources & context

2026-09-18