Japan is an interesting place and most foreigners will find things that they don’t understand.  One of the most comically different things is Japanese body gestures and body language.

Check out these five funny gestures below! More Japanese Lessons!

Please! / I’m sorry!

You can ask please by putting your hands together and saying onegaishimasu.  You can also use this gesture to say that you are sorry!

“Me?”

If you want to ask if someone is talking about you you can point to your nose and upturn your eyebrows. You can also ask “Watashi?” while doing this.

“Come here for a minute!” / “come here!”

By limp wristedly flapping your wrist up and down with a downturned palm, you can beckon for someone to come over to you!  It is the equivalent of the curled finger motion, but with non sexually suggestive undertones.

“They’re arguing!”

By straightening your two index fingers and alternately crossing their paths (think itsy bitsy spider), you can let someone know that an argument is happening.  You do not need to use words with this gesture.

“No Way!”

By waving your hand in front of your face as if you are batting away a cloud of noxious smell, you can signal that you are in complete disagreement!  It is just like saying “no way!” in English!

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