Symbols, numbers, colors, animals

45 cards in this category — of which 28 complete, 17 under development.

• The number 4 (tetraphobia - East Asia)Homophone of "death": no 4th floor in Seoul or Tokyo hospitals.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 13 (triskaidekaphobia - West)Friday the 13th = Western folk curse. Skyscrapers in Manhattan, Toronto and Paris skip floor 13. A multi-million-dollar scare for the real estate industry.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The number 17 (deadly taboo - Italy)In Italy, 17 in Roman numerals (XVII) reads as "VIXI" (I lived = I died). No row 17 on planes, no room 17 in hotels.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 8 (prosperity - China)The 8 sounds like "fortune" in Mandarin. In Hong Kong, an "8888" license plate sells for 4 times more than a normal one. Phone numbers with 8 are worth 10 times their basic price.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The number 7 (good luck West, bad luck China)The 7 is lucky in the West (seven wonders), but a bearer of mourning in China (7th lunar month = Festival of Ghosts). The same number, two opposite destinies.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• White (mourning - China, Japan)White = innocence in the West. White = death in East Asia. The same white suit = wedding dress in Paris, mourning suit in Tokyo.
  CompleteInsult
• Black (mourning - West)Black = strict mourning in the West (black suit, black tie). White = mourning in East Asia. Two opposing codes, two incompatible rituals.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The pig (dirty west, prosperous China)Impure animal in Islam and Judaism, emblem of happiness in the Chinese zodiac.
  CompleteInsult
• The dog (Western friend, impure Sunni Islam)Best friend in the West; absolute rival of this status in strict Sunni Islam, where it remains ritually impure and a desecrator of sacred space.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The raven (dead West, lucky Asia)Messenger of wisdom in Asia; bird of death in the West: two radically opposed cosmologies.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The elephant (Indian wisdom, Ganesh deity)Ganesh, Hindu deity with elephant head, universal symbol of wisdom and luck in India. In the West, a rare and fascinating animal.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The dragon (Chinese power, Western evil)Imperial Dragon China symbolizes power and prosperity. The West opposes it to the knight and virtue as the embodiment of Evil to be vanquished.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The swastika (Hindu/Buddhist vs Nazi auspice)An auspicious Hindu/Buddhist symbol for 5000 years. Nazi hijacked it 1920-1945. The West can now only see it in trauma.
  CompleteTaboo
• The cross (Christian divinity vs. rejection of Islam/Judaism)Heart of the Christian faith. Absolute rejection in Islam (idolatry) and unease in Judaism (historical persecutions).
  CompleteOffense
• Le croissant (islam vs malaise chrétienté/West/Western)Luminous symbol of Islam. West links it historically to Ottoman threat; fear persists despite contemporary normalization.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Star of David (Judaism vs Nazi identity)Deep Jewish identity. Nazi trauma: forced yellow star. Symbol of Israel's resilience versus Arab rejection and occupation.
  CompleteOffense
• The pentagram (pagan protection vs. Christian fear/sorcery)Pagan symbol of protection/balance. Christianity associates it with witchcraft/demonology. Contemporary New Age valorization VS persistent folk fear.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The rainbow (LGBTQ+ vs. Christian Covenant)Noah's divine covenant vs. LGBTQ+ Pride: two cosmologies of the same symbol create contemporary identity conflict.
  CompleteInsult
• The Hand of Fatima / Hamsa (Abrahamic protection)Fatima Hand, Abrahamic protector. Judaism-Islam-Christianity unity. Exotic Western folklore.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The red thread (Kabbalah/Chinese luck vs. superstition)Red thread Kabbalah spiritual protection; China link destiny love; West trivializes it superstition.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The feather (Native American sacredness vs. trivialization)Native American sacred feather. West trivializes cultural appropriation. Indigenous respect demanded.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The number 9 (unlucky Asia vs. neutral West)9 taboo Asia (homophone death). West sees it as neutral. Misunderstanding price/floor mixed architectures.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Odd/even number of flowers (divergent rules)Pair for the living in the West, pair for the dead in Russia: figures that shift depending on the border.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Japanese lucky black cat (kuroneko)Japanese Kuroneko: radiant good luck charm. Western black cat: sinister omen. The same feline, two opposing symbolic universes.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The gift of the frog (kaeru - safe return)Kaeru: a frog meaning "return". A Japanese homophone that makes for a rich and meaningful gift.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The bat: good luck in China, bad luck in the WestFu: a smiling bat in China, a flying nightmare in the West. Chinese homophone that reverses everything.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The turtle: sacred longevity in Japan, sexual insult in BrazilMinogame sanctified in Tokyo, hidden insult in Rio. Same animal, two emotional universes.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The peacock (sacred India, western vanity)Kartikeya mount in India; bad-luck superstition at the English theater.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Le rouge nuptial chinoisRouge vif pour la mariée, enveloppes rouges — couleur du bonheur conjugal.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le rouge danger occidentalFeu rouge, panneau stop, croix rouge d'alerte : la sémiotique occidentale du risque.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le vert sacré de l'islamLe vert du Prophète : drapeau, couverture de Coran — couleur religieusement chargée.
  Under developmentMisunderstanding
• Le jaune impérial chinoisJaune réservé à l'empereur sous les Qing ; aujourd'hui encore couleur souveraine.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le bleu anti-mauvais œil (Méditerranée, Turquie)Le nazar boncuk turc : perle bleue accrochée partout pour conjurer l'œil envieux.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le violet de deuil (Thaïlande, Brésil)Une veuve thaïlandaise peut porter du violet ; catholique au Brésil — même convergence.
  Under developmentMisunderstanding
• La chouette (sagesse Ouest, mort Inde)Minerve pour les Grecs, présage funèbre pour de nombreuses cultures d'Asie et d'Afrique.
  Under developmentMisunderstanding
• Le chat noir (chance ou malchance)Malchance en France ; chance en Grande-Bretagne et en Écosse ; adoptable partout.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le pliage du drapeau américain13 plis rituels ; drapeau touchant le sol = faute grave, éclairage nocturne obligatoire.
  Under developmentInsult
• L'hymne royal thaïlandais (debout obligatoire)Dans un cinéma thaï, rester assis à 18 h : crime de lèse-majesté, article 112.
  Under developmentOffense
• La photo de l'Empereur japonaisManipulation irrespectueuse d'une photo officielle de l'Empereur : offense culturelle.
  Under developmentInsult
• Le miroir bagua (feng shui)Miroir octogonal chinois : dévie les mauvaises énergies, devenu marché global du wellness.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• L'attrapeur de rêves (Ojibwa)Objet sacré ojibwa banalisé en souvenir touristique — débat sur l'appropriation.
  Under developmentInsult
• Le nazar boncuk turcPerle bleue accrochée partout en Turquie pour conjurer l'œil envieux.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le torii japonaisPortail shintô séparant le profane du sacré : s'incliner avant de passer.
  Under developmentInsult
• Le trèfle à quatre feuillesPorte-bonheur végétal celte ; le trèfle à trois feuilles reste plus souvent rencontré.
  Under developmentCuriosity
• Le lotus (pureté bouddhiste)Fleur qui jaillit pure de la boue — emblème bouddhiste majeur, du Tibet à Bali.
  Under developmentCuriosity