10 common gestures with different meanings in different countries

Although the language of signs is universal, there are gestures that vary in meaning depending on the country.

If you like to travel and don’t want to give way to misunderstandings, at awesome.club we reveal some of these meanings to avoid confusion when visiting other countries.

This gesture is very common in western countries and we do it to attract luck. But, if you are in Vietnam, it has another meaning: there it symbolizes the female genitalia.

For many countries, this gesture means peace or victory. Often today it is also used in photography poses. However, in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland, the person doing this is insulting, especially if they show the outside of their hand instead of their palm.

We show the palm of the hand vertically as a sign of “high there”, to make something or someone stop, or even a taxi or a bus; but, in Greece, with this gesture you are saying to the person “go to hell”. So, if you want to send someone to pick up coconuts without them realizing it, take that gesture into consideration… we’re kidding!

Westerners consider eye gaze to be a normal reaction to the person speaking to us, even a gesture of courtesy, interest, and openness. In Asia and the Middle East, it’s a disrespectful sign, especially to older people, and if it’s done to women, it’s understood that you’re showing sexual interest.

Touching someone’s head is considered a caring gesture in many countries, especially if you do it with a child. In countries that practice Eastern religions of Buddhist tradition, such as Thailand or Laos, you should not do so, as they consider the head to be the sacred part of the body.

In most countries, this gesture means that something went well or that everything is fine. In Brazil and Venezuela, it refers to a profanity expression, something equivalent to showing the middle finger, and in countries such as Turkey and Russia, it is also considered a vulgar gesture and is not usually used. In France and Belgium they make this sign to symbolize that a person is a “zero on the left”, that is, worthless or useless.

In Latin America and Spain, going barefoot seems in bad taste (unless we are at the beach, at the pool, at our house…). But in Australia this practice is very normal and you can see people walking barefoot on the street and even at some social events. In Nordic countries and Japan, you must take off your shoes before entering a house.

It’s very common when you greet or are introduced to someone to give two kisses, even three in places like Russia. In other countries, this form of contact is frowned upon and can lead to misunderstandings, which is why they are limited to shaking hands (universal greeting) or a simple bow of the head, as in Asian countries.

In countries like Germany, you are suggesting to your interlocutor that what he is saying does not interest you at all and that he will not participate in the conversation. And if you are talking and you have your hands in your pockets, it means you are lying or hiding information.

In Latin America and other western countries, this simple gesture means “ok”, you agree with something or that everything is fine. We also use it to hitchhike, making the gesture to passing cars.

In the Middle East, it is considered an obscene insult and will drive the person crazy. In Greece, Russia and some African countries it is also considered an insult.

As you can see, we must pay attention to non-verbal language depending on the country we are in.

Did you know all the meanings? If you know any other gestures, share them with us in the comments!