Japanese Body Language Guide

by 27 Comments

Ahhh, today’s blog post isn’t so much of a post, but an announcement of a new addition to our Guide library. It could easily be its own post, but we felt it is more appropriate to segregate it into a guide.

About a month ago, we announced our intentions in developing How-To guides to help aid you, our readers. So far, the library contains four guides, three of them on how to set up the Japanese IME on your computer (Ubuntu, Mac OS X, and Windows), and the fourth is the popular Gendered Language guide. Today, we are adding a Japanese Body Language Guide.

As of this post, the body language guide lists a few of the common Japanese gestures, with photographic examples modeled by the one and only Koichi. Take a gander and please tell us what you think about it. There is always room for improvement, so please lets us know!

The Japanese Body Language GuideTake me to the Japanese Body Language Guide!

We hope you enjoy it, and also hope you are now able to make some sense out of all the wacky body language Japanese people do. It’s one of the subtle differences between someone who’s “Japanese” and “foreign,” so learn these well!

  • Brian Parker

    Sweet glasses, koichi

  • cdncarlie

    Awesome guide! I never knew the counting with your fingers is the opposite. I almost fell out of my chair laughing at ‘calling dibs’….Koichi’s face = priceless

  • Madbeanman

    The lack of colour makes it very intense. Even with the wig :) I can tell you take body language very seriously :P

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Thank you @google-4cc629374cf057f24bd45f7a237e7295:disqus , I like your silhouette.

  • http://twitter.com/shollum Shollum

    Awesome mullet Koichi!

    I found it interesting that the gesture for money was almost the same as what I do (when I’m not rubbing my fingers together, that is).

  • Mousefire

    Crap, I pretty much always have my hands in my pockets whenever I’m not sitting down. 

  • ZXNova

    This is really helpful, you guys really do a good job when informing us things Japanese.
    どうもありがとうございました！

  • Lp1214

    great guides, i especially like koichi’s gesture photos, very classy. keep it up tofugu team.

  • mixa

    So you can learn stuff with anime, after all. And do the japanese use that “OK” body language sign often? It seems like a lot of body movement for such a simple message.

  • http://twitter.com/sushimanster hoshiro-

    Is that really how you call dibs? I mean it kinda makes sense cuz since it has your saliva the other person wont want it, but isnt it a little immature?

  • http://www.vietamins.com Viet

    I’ve seen it mostly used in a classroom setting.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    It’s kinda common. Also good for telling people they got something correct / right. *suspense suspense suspense… OKAY!*

  • MilkyChocoxD

    My Japanese teacher told me that Japanese people don’t use gestures : He was born and raised in Japan too.

  • http://www.vietamins.com Viet

    My Japanese teacher said a lot of things too. I just nod my head :)

  • http://www.tofugu.com/ Hashi

    That probably just means that they’re so natural to him that he doesn’t recognize them :p

  • Purrlsta

    I’m in Okinawa at the moment and something I’ve noticed is that people look each other in the eye quite often. Everything you read, including your guide, says that it’s rude and to avoid it, but it seems that people here don’t mind as much eye contact (in comparison to the rest of Japan) and will generally maintain it with the person who’s speaking. Interesting no?

  • Ryukyu

    Okinawa’s culture is pretty distinct from Japanese culture, as it used to be its own separate kingdom several years before Japan’s takeover. That probably accounts for several of the differences there.

  • Gender

    The thumb representing the male, while the pinky finger represents the female, is something I’d wondered about until my host family explained it to me. It’s rooted in gender differences; the ‘female’ finger is frail and weak, while the thumb is the stronger, tougher, more capable finger.

    Things that make me sigh. -_-

  • Annonyynonnynon000

    Is the eye-contact thing only with strangers?  All my Japanese co-workers look me in the eyes super intensely until *I* become uncomfortable.

  • Annonyynonnynon000

     Seconding this!  I’ve also heard this from Japanese people.  Um, lol, no.  It’s all gesture, gesture, gesture.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Just wait until you start learning the root meanings of a lot of kanji … it only gets worse :(

  • AprilJoyy

    Loved this!! Learned a few things I wouldn’t have expected.

  • Mouse

    I love that.  Apparently my boyfriends quirky mannerisms are just regular Japanese body language.  We’ve also had the discussion about looking people in the eye – he had to learn that after moving to the States.

  • http://www.vietamins.com Viet

    Haha, awesome. Does he exhibit any “quirks” not listed in the guide?

  • cpd

    I noticed my Japanese teacher counting the “reverse” way today; the little differences in cultures are so interesting!! Love the articles on Tofugu :)
    Also, for laughs: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/25032335/ring_on_Koichi.gif (This is the first thing I thought of when I saw the pics, hehe)

  • http://thoanguyen.org/ Thoa

    LOVEDD this! I didn’t know about the brown noser. Very informative!

  • Cheshire_Waltz

    Ah I picked up the crossing arms and making an x thing from my Japanese teacher. When we would do true false activities we did the x for false. Now when I say no to stuff I tend to cross my arms haha. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until someone started staring when I began the movement to do it.