What are common Japanese counting gestures
Expressive Silence: Understanding Body Language in Japan: What are common Japanese counting gestures
Common Japanese counting gestures involve counting on fingers starting from an open hand and folding fingers inward from the thumb to the little finger to represent numbers 1 to 5. For numbers 6 to 10, one hand is kept open (representing 5), while the other hand shows the additional number by raising 1 to 5 fingers.
Details of Japanese Counting Gestures:
- To count 1, the thumb is folded in.
- To count 2, the thumb and index finger are folded in.
- This continues with each subsequent finger folded until the hand is closed for 5.
- For numbers above 5, for example 6, one hand is held open (representing 5), and the other hand shows 1 finger.
- The same pattern continues with 7, 8, 9, where the second hand shows 2, 3, and 4 fingers respectively.
- To indicate 10, both hands are fully open with all fingers extended.
This method can differ slightly depending on whether one is counting to themselves or showing the number to someone else, but this is the common approach in Japan. 1, 4, 5