Around the World

In Seven Gestures
 Japanese
“Watashi” (women) / “Boku” (men)
Means: “Me”
How to do it: whereas
we in the West point to
our chest when we want
to say “I” or ask “me?”,
the Japanese point to
their nose with their
index finger.
 Arabic
“al-Hamdu li-llaah”
Means:
“Praise be to God”
How to do it: after
shaking hands, place
right hand across the
chest and bow head
briefly. This is a sign of
respect to someone of
high office or an older
person, such as your
partner’s parents.
Mandarin Chinese
“liù”
Means: “Six”
How to do it: extend
thumb and little finger,
keeping rest of the hand
closed. The thumb
indicates one set of five.
Unlike in most other
countries, people in
China will use only one
hand to signify numbers
one to 10.
 Hindi
“Namaste”
Literally: “I bow to you”
How to do it: press your
hands together palm-
by-palm in front of your
chest and give a slight
nod with your head at
the same time.
 Russian
“Zachem tak slozhnu?”
Means: “Why so
complicated?”
How to do it: reach
behind head and
scratch left ear with
right hand or vice versa
– means that something
has been expressed
backwards or has been
made too complicated.
Brazilian Portugese
“Papo-furado”
Means: “Not true”/ “Idle
chat”
How to do it: palm
facing down, tap right
under your jaw with the
back of your hand.
Latin American Spanish
“Te lo juro”
Means: “I swear”/ “I
promise you”
How to do it: thumb
inside a clenched fist,
the hand is raised to the
mouth and the thumb
kissed before throwing
the hand forward and
flicking the thumb up.