Have You Ever Been Told Not to Write Names with a Red Pen? Exploring the Origins of This Popular School Belief

Have you ever wondered why it is forbidden to use a "red pen" to write someone's name? We reveal the eerie origins of this belief from the past, share five color-related prohibitions everyone should know, and update the perspective of today's youth on whether they still believe this legend.

As children, many were scolded or had their hands slapped when they accidentally picked up a red pen to write their own or a friend's name, accompanied by a warning that "You must not use a red pen to write someone's name because it's a curse that causes death." Although time has passed to the present, this belief still permeates Thai society inseparably.

Thairath Online takes a deep look at the roots of this belief and updates the views of modern people on what they really think about this matter.

Why is it forbidden to use a "red pen" to write someone's name? Unveiling the eerie belief every Thai child has heard.

The belief against using red ink to write the names of living individuals has its foundation in ancient Chinese culture and history. Folklore studies explain that although red symbolizes good fortune and luck for the Chinese, in the context of "writing names," red was reserved exclusively for the deceased.Specifically,

• spirit tablets and graves, In the past, inscribing the names of deceased ancestors on spirit tablets or engraving names on grave markers was done using red characters to symbolize the dead.
• Bloody letters and death row prisoners, Names of prisoners about to be executed were often written in red ink, and some legends hold that red symbolized blood.

When this culture blended with beliefs in Thai society, using a red pen to write someone's name came to be interpreted in a spiritual sense as a "curse causing harm and broken bones," or as a bad omen signaling danger and death to the person named.

Beyond the red pen taboo, here are five other color-related prohibitions everyone should know.

Colors have long been linked with Thai cultural beliefs. Besides the red pen, elders often warn about these cultural color taboos:

1. Do not wear all-black outfits to auspicious events. Black symbolizes mourning and grief, so wearing black to weddings or housewarmings is seen as obstructing good fortune and disrespecting the hosts.

2. Purple is associated with sadness. Historically, purple was linked to sorrow or the term "widow," causing many to avoid using purple as a main color at weddings.

3. Do not wear red to funerals. Though red is auspicious in Chinese culture, wearing bright red clothing at funerals is considered highly disrespectful to the deceased and their relatives.

4. Avoid giving gifts wrapped in white or black paper on birthdays. Wrapping gifts in white or black paper or giving items in these two colors on birthdays is viewed as funeral symbolism rather than celebration.

5. Birthdays' unlucky colors. According to Thai astrology, each birthday has "forbidden colors" or unlucky colors believed to bring obstacles or bad luck if worn on important days.

Do people still believe this? Updating young people's views on the "red pen name writing" legend.

Today, young people's views on the red pen legend have shifted interestingly. Surveys of online opinions and psychological insights reveal that avoiding red pen is no longer due to fear of ghosts or bad omens but rather relates to "color psychology and social etiquette."

Psychologically, red is a color that stimulates alertness, intensity, and is used for error alerts (such as marking test mistakes). Writing someone's name in red can feel conflicting, aggressive, and informal.

Therefore, young people see avoiding the red pen for names as a matter of "appropriateness" rather than superstition. Using blue or black ink for signing documents and writing names remains the standard of politeness everyone upholds in society.