One of the things I love most about anime is how it brings us a little closer to the Japanese people, letting us get to know them better through pop culture. It’s especially fun to learn about everyday body language, including subtle Japanese gestures they make without even thinking. In this post, we’ll dive into some of the most interesting gestures in anime that capture these moments the best!
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Exploring the Wonderful World of Japanese Gestures in Anime!
Obviously each country will have a slightly different list of unique gestures that they use to express themselves with. Let’s explore the world of anime gestures together!
In the US, we generally point to our chests to refer to ourselves, but in Japan, it’s common for a person to point to their nose. I do it all the time, even when visiting the US.
Another anime gesture that might cause confusion is this one, which means “come here” even though you might think it means the opposite. This is the gesture that Lucky Cat is making, waving you into a store so you can make a purchase.
The world of apologies is quite nuanced in Japan, and if you wrong someone, you might make a sincere gesture like this to show them you’re sorry.
As you can probably imagine, bowing culture is quite developed in Japan, and there are actually several kinds of bows to make depending on the situation. Acknowledging a co-worker in the hallway? You’d give them a 15° short bow called eshaku. Meeting with an important client? A deeper 30° bow called keirei would be appropriate. It’s also common to bow to people when speaking Japanese on the phone, even though the other person can’t see you. I do it all the time!
The Japanese are excellent when it comes to being expressive with their hands. We can easily see how utterly we’re being denied our request.
Then there’s the “finger fiddling” that you see in anime. I’m pretty sure this is an anime-only Japanese gesture, as I’ve never seen it in the real world. The gesture means “I’m too shy to start talking” or possibly, “I’m sorry I ate all those French fries.”
More Fun with Anime Gestures!
I love the “scary shiny glasses” trope, which either represents “all according to keikaku,” or maybe, “I’m a perverted anime girl, and I’m thinking about sex so much, my glasses have fogged up.”
What are five things about the Japanese language that define the Japanese? Read this blog post next!
Here’s a gesture that might look like “okay” to you, but it actually means “zero.” If someone asks if you want to go out drinking but you’re broke, you might make this gesture. Or you might use it to indicate “you have zero cool.”
The way to represent a “brown-noser” who’s always kissing up to the boss in Japanese is goma-suri: literally, grinding up sesame seeds. I guess the boss is too powerful to grind up his own sesame seeds, so he has his underlings do it. To make the gesture, just grind up imaginary sesame seeds in your palm using your other fist.
This is a potentially confusing Japanese gesture meaning “my girlfriend.” If you invite a guy out but he makes this gesture, you’d immediately know, “Oh, he can’t go out tonight because he has a date with his girlfriend.” Similarly, showing your thumb to someone, with the surface of the thumb facing them, is the gesture meaning “boyfriend.”
Some Gestures are Anime Only
Not every gesture in anime is unique to Japan. The Japanese embraced the Western “middle finger” gesture in the 1980s and love adding it to manga and anime. I just hope they don’t try it in real life when visiting abroad.
This is a unique anime gesture meaning, “I’m so cute, your heart will literally explode.”
Finally, we have a gesture that a few anime main characters might need to learn. It means, “We’re going to have sex. So get in the bed, please.”
Thanks for reading this blog post about some fun Japanese gestures. Did you learn anything new? Have you ever been confused about any gestures you saw in anime?
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No girlfriend? No problem! April 14 is Black Day in South Korea, when single men mark the occasion by eating black noodles. They missed out on Valentine’s Day chocolate on February 14 and had no one to give white chocolate to on White Day, March 14, but so April 14 is their day! J-List is celebrating with a huge 15% sale on all Japan-based products through April 20. Start browsing now!
