2023学年完整公开课版Hand Signs

HandSigns

Generallylistedinorderoffrequency,handsignsareverycircumstantial.Menusethemmorethanwomen,thoughthiswilldependonwhoiswatching.Asaforeignmale,studentsgenerallyfeelfreerusinghandlanguagewithme,than,forexample,withmywifewhoisJapaneseandcommandsmoreauthorityandthusmorerespectfulformality.Also,asIwishtobeawareofthefeelingsandopinionsofmystudents,Iofteninterceptmessagesnotmeantformyeyes.

1.‘Comehere’(Chotto...oide)

Usedwhencallingsomeonetowardsyou,thisgestureresemblesaWestern-stylegood-bye,oftenconfusingforeigners.Withasomewhatlimpwrist,flapfourfingersinthedirectionofthepersonyouwanttoattract.Generallynotrecommendedforsuperiors,itisstillconsideredpreferabletoyelling.

2.‘Good-bye’

(oftenaccompaniedwiththeEnglishloan-word"bye-bye")Fingersfullyextended,thehandmovedleftandrightrapidly.ComparewiththeJapanese‘Comehere’#1.

3.No

Wavingthehand,thumbtowardstheface,backandforthasiffanninginshortstrokes,meansno,notme,ornothankyou,dependingonthesituation.UsedagreatdealbystudentswhodonotknowtheappropriateEnglishexpression,ortoavoidbeingembarrassedabouttheirinabilitytospeakEnglish.Themoreemphaticthewavethemoreemphaticthe‘No’.

4.‘Excuseme’(Sumimasen)

Usedwhencuttingbetweentwopeople,orasageneralapology.DerivedfromaBuddhistsignforblessing,similartothetwo-handedsalutationusedinSoutheastAsiabutwithonlyonehand.Handflat,thumbnearthenose,headandbackslightlybent,eyesaverteddownward.

5.WritingKanji(ChineseCharacters)

Aformofthinkingoutloud,orspellingoutamessage,Japaneseoftenwritewiththeirfinger,ontothepalmoftheirhand,ontheirthighwhensitting,orintotheair.Byvisualizingthecharacterithelpstodistinguishwhichcharacterfromseveralwiththesamepronunciation.

6.Peace/VictorySign

CanonrareoccasionshavethemeaningofPeace,asin‘Ididn'tmeantomakeyouangry’,yetmostcommonlyusedasaplayfulgesturewhenposingforsnapshots.Alsocommonlyusedasasymbolofsuccess,asinthesuccessfulcompletionofadifficultquestion.Primarilyusedbystudentswhenclowningforfriends,thisissometimesusedasagreetingtoforeigners.

7.Jan-Ken(Choosing)

Thisisthefirsthandgamelearnedbychildren.Thisimportantgameisusedoftenbystudentstochoosesomeonefromagroupoftwoormore,aswhendeterminingwhogoesfirstorwhogetsthelastpieceofcandy.

Playersshout"Jankenpon!"andsimultaneouslyformtheirhandsintooneofthreepossibleshapes.Guastone,Chokiscissors,orPapaper.

Astonedefeatsscissors,becausescissorscannotcutastone.Paperdefeatsastone,becausepapercanwrapastone.Scissorsdefeatpaper,becausescissorscancutpaper.

8.Counting

OppositetothatoftheWest,whencountingstartwiththefingersextended,andthenfoldfingersintoafist,startingwiththethumbandfinishingwiththelittlefinger.Usingthesamehandfoldedinafistraisethelittlefingerforsix,andcontinueuntilanopenhandagain.

Adjustingtothissystemquicklycanpreventmisunderstandingsduringgameplaying,remember,forexample,theJapanesesignfor‘two’reads‘three’totheWesterneye.

9.Indicatingnumbers

Withaclosedfist,raisetheindexfingerforone,middleandindexfortwo,etc.usingthethumblast.

10."Somethingsmells"(Kusai!)

VerysimilartotheWest,thesecanbeusedquiteinnocently,ortobeinsulting.Describesallbadsmellsincludingbadbreathandbodyodor,butnotintheAmericansenseof"Thatmoviestunk!"(Thatmoviewasbad).Donebypinchingthenosewiththeindexfingerandthumb,And/orbywavingthehand,asiffanningawayabadsmell,infrontoftheface.

IhavefoundthatJapanesestudentsaregenerallysensitivetosmells.AttimesItoohavebeentemptedtousethegesture,butdonot,forinJapancleanlinessisnexttoGodliness,andaccusingsomeoneofsmelling,justifiedornot,canbeagraveinsult.

11.Oni(goblin)

Indicatesanangryperson.BothIndexfingersextendupwardandslightlyforward,oneithersideoftheheadlikehorns,usuallytheheadistiltedslightlyforward.Wigglethefingersforemphasis.Oftenusedbystudentswhentalkingabouttheirparents,I'veseenoneclassuseittowarnthenextclassofmybadmood.

12."Let'sgoeat."

Indexandmiddlefingerextendedinfrontofmouthtoresemblechopsticks,asifshovelingfoodfromtheotherhand,whichiscuppedlikeabowl.Studentshaveusedthistoremindmetobreakforlunch.

13.LayingitonThick

Ahandgestureofgrindingasifwithamortarandpestle,isusedtodescribesomeoneexaggeratingorcomplimentinginordertoseekfavor.

14.Money

Fingersintheshapeofacoin.SimilartoanOKsignwithanaccentontheroundness.Traditionallydiscussingmoneywasconsideredvulgar.Samuraiseldomtouchedmoney.Sothissign,thoughcommonamongmales,isnotencouraged.

15.Pa!(Coo-Coo!,Crazy!)

Placeafistalongsidetheheadandopenitquickly,suggestssomeoneisstupidorcrazy.Usedbothinfunorincriticism,asintheWest.

16.Tengu(Long-nosedgoblin)

Describesaconceitedbraggart.Aclenchedfistheldinfrontoftheface,suggestingalongnose,likethegoblinTengu.

17.ClashingSwords

Peoplearequarreling,canbeindicatedbyhittingtheindexfingerstogetherasifinaswordfight.

18.Let'sgoforadrink/Wewentdrinking

Imitatesasakecuptippedfordrinking.Fingers,asifholdingasmallsakecup,tiltedtowardsthemouthaswhendrinking.

Thoughoriginallyusedbybusinessmen,collegestudentsusethiswhentalkingabouttheirdrinkingescapades.Morerecently,chuggingabeerglasssymbolicallyhasreplacedthetraditionalsakecup.

19.Sushi

Resembleshowsushichefspreparesushiandisusedwhentalkingaboutsushi.Indexandmiddlefingerofonehandslappedintothepalmoftheother.Assushiisaspecialkindofmealthismeansonlysushiandnotforeatinggenerally(see#12foreatingingeneral).

20.Promise

Tomakeasolemnpromiselocklittlefingerswithsomeone.ThoughabitchildishIhaveactuallyseenthePrimeMinisterofJapanuseittoaccentapoint.

21.FatherFigure

Thethumbraisedcanmeanfather,theboss,orasuperior.

22.Woman

Raisedlittlefinger,canbesomewhatvulgarwhensuggestingamarriedman'slover.ItisoftenusedrecentlyinhumorousTVcommercialsandsonowinclassroomhumor.Suggestsawomanisinvolvedinsomeway.

23.Tosteal

Traditionallyusedamongthievestosuggeststealingorwhentalkingaboutathief.Ihaveseenthisusedamongmalecollegestudents,inbothseriousnessindiscussingalossorinhumor.Hooktheindexfinger.Studentshaveusedthiswithanodtosuggestawrongdoing,withoutactuallymentioninganynames.

24.Pregnancy

Asubtlesignforpregnancyisvomiting,usedprimarilyintheaterandonTV,thoughIhaveseenstudentsusethiswhenteasingeachother.

Amoredirecthandsignistomovethehand