光九
Chinese
| light; ray; bright | nine | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| simp. and trad. (光九) |
光 | 九 | |
| Literally: “bright nine”. | |||
Pronunciation
- Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kng-káu
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Philippines)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kng-káu
- Tâi-lô: kng-káu
- Phofsit Daibuun: kngkao
- IPA (Philippines): /kŋ̍³³ kau⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Philippines)
Noun
光九
- (Philippine Hokkien) a custom or superstition where it is believed that bad luck or misfortune comes at an unlucky age where the final digit is a nine (9), especially at a ripe old age (e.g. 99, 89, 79, 69, 59, 49, 39, 29, 19, 9, etc.)
Usage notes
- Belief in this influences people at a certain age to avoid risks and affects how birthday celebrations are planned to stay auspicious.