There’s more to communication than just words, especially in a country like Japan. Often a negative opinion is expressed indirectly, with a subtle word like “chotto…” (literally “just a little” but meaning so much more that was omitted), and learning Japanese ultimately involves picking up on what isn’t being said. The Japanese have perfected the art of communicating through silence, too, and you know you’ve really screwed something up when you’re greeted with a terrible, deafening silence from those around you. Gestures are another interesting form of communication, and since Japanese gestures are so different from what we’re generally used to in the West, understanding them can be a challenge. The most famous Japanese gesture is the odd waving that Lucky Cat is doing, which can look like “get away from me” although it really means “come here” (or in the case of a shop, “come in and buy something”). There are obscure gestures for, “I have to get home, or my wife will be angry with me” (devil horns), “I am going out with my girlfriend tonight” (an upstretched thumb gesture by women indicates their boyfriends), “watch out, that scary guy looks like a yakuza gangster” and a gesture meaning “I don’t have enough money.” And anyone who’s watched much anime is familiar with the childish-yet-cute sticking-the-tongue-out-while-pulling-down-the-eye insult, called ah-kam-beh! in Japanese.
If you want to learn more about unique Japanese gestures, we recommend this book a lot, and if you like the “black bar” anonymous sunglasses from these pics, see them here.
Ah-kan-BEH! Another uniquely Japanese gesture.
