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| I have no idea what this means. Damn. I used to be cool. |
Now that we have that very important one out of the way, let's examine Japanese gestures and what they mean... that way, you can act accordingly when you see it.
1) One of the most common gestures you will see is the "Who Me?" gesture that involves the individual pointing at their nose with their index finger. It seems pretty straightforward, but I know that here in Canada (and the US), we tend to point at ourselves at our chest and with a thumb or index finger. We don't get closer than a couple of inches, but the Japanese will touch their nose while saying "Arai? (Who Me?)". It's pronounced 'ah-ray'.
2) "I don't know" or "no" gesture is the waving of one's hand back and forth in front of the face.
3) "Come in" or "Come here" is done by straightening your arm, then bending the elbow up and with the fingers pointing downwards make a scratching motion with all the fingers moving towards the palm at the same time.
4) Pointing: don't use your index finger - that's just not cricket!
5) Money: When people imply that that money is the topic, they make the okay symbol, joining the thumb with the index finger, with the other three fingers extended.... or the three fingers could also be part of the roundness. The 'O' symbol obviously means 'coinage'. Back in the old days, the samurai warrior class never discussed money, so making this symbol - despite its popularity amongst men - is considered vulgar.
6) Bowing: Bowing has multiple meanings, but essentially it is a sign of respect. It's a sign of greeting, or respect and let me tell you, you know you've been too long in Japan when you catch yourself bowing while on the telephone! The key to any good bow, besides hands at the side and a bend at the waist is the length of time to hold the bow. Usually... the more important the person you meet, the longer you hold the bow. If you aren't sure, the tie-breaker is the shoes. Look at the shoes and see if they are shinier and better than yours. Probably you, you dumb gaijin. Bow deeply. And don't forget to say "Dozo yoroshiku" (Pleased to meet you). Oh... and in traditional Japanese restaurants and very formal situations people will kneel and bow, but the main bow is the standing one.
7) The Peace sign (also known as the Vee for Victory sign): Once the symbol of the hippie, the peace sign is now used almost exclusively to ask for two drinks at a bar or by the Japanese as a goofy gesture when posing for a photograph.
8) Counting: This one was weird for me. It was one I had no clue about until I started to actually pay attention to the hand gestures of people as opposed to just concentrating on their boobs. Counting from one to 10 in Japan is completely alien to me... and perhaps these drawings will give you a better first impression:
Opposite to that of the West, when counting start with the fingers extended, and then fold fingers into a fist, starting with the thumb and finishing with the little finger. Using the same hand folded in a fist raise the little finger for six, and continue until an open hand again.
And you better get it right... the Japanese way of creating a 'two' looks to the Western eye that there are three fingers up - thus 'three'... although to the Western eye, a three is formed by the thumb holding the little finger down with the index, middle and ring fingers extended.
9) Let's go for food: I like this gesture. Index and middle finger extended in front of mouth to resemble chopsticks, as if shoveling food from the other hand, which is cupped like a bowl.
10) Let's go for a drink: I like this gesture even more! In the west we place an erect thumb to our lips and make like it is being upended to the mouth - but in Japan you pretend you are drinking a sake cup and you tilt it upwards toward the mouth... but you can also pretend you are holding a glass of beer and pouring it in to your mouth.
11) Let's go for sushi: I admit that I never saw this one, but I'm told it is used quite often. Perhaps my Japanese friends quite correctly assumed a dumb foreigner like me wouldn't recognize the symbol. To say, 'let's go for sushi', you slap the index and middle fingers down into the palm of your other slightly cupped hand. It's to show the wrapping of a sushi roll, and would only be used for sushi and not any other type of foods.
12) I promise: Do you know when little kids make a pinkie promise and wrap the little pinkie finger around another's pinkie finger? Adults will do it too... apparently the Japanese prime minster was seen doing it with another leader to accentuate a point.
13) That stinks!: Just like in Canada and the US, you can pinch your nose or you can wave you hand in front of it as though you are waving the smell away. It can be used as a real insult, as it may include bad breath or body odor.
14) Thumbs up: It doesn't merely mean "Hey! That's cool!" or "Let that slave live", in Japan it denotes a father, boss or superior. Perhaps it also implies a penis.
15) Raising the little finger: In the west it could imply a small penis. In Japan, however, raising the little finger implies "woman" or that a woman is involved.
16) Excuse me, I'm going past you: I still use this one many years removed from Japan. Should you want to move past someone, you use an open hand and a slight chopping motion. In the old days, showing an empty hand meant you were not carrying a sword or other weapon, and were thus not being aggressive.
Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
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