Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Fun and Easy Japanese by JapanesePod101.com!
You can understand some Japanese, but what about Japanese body language?
こんにちは、りさです。
Hi everyone! I’m Risa.
In this lesson, you’ll learn about eleven Japanese body gestures.
There are many gestures which are unique to Japan, and they may even mean the opposite of what you’d expect.
Knowing these will not only help you understand Japanese culture better, but also make you seem like a more natural and fluent speaker. Not only that, but if you’re just a beginner, these expressions alone may be enough to communicate your feelings—without the need of a lengthy explanation..
In this video, we’ll cover eleven gestures in total, and we’ll divide them up into three categories:
Body Gestures
Hand Gestures
And Facial Expressions
Let’s start with body gestures.
The first gesture is the bow.
Bowing is one of the most common Japanese gestures. It can be used for a number of different things: greeting people, showing gratitude, or apologizing. And there are three kinds of bows which may be used depending on the situation.
Let’s go over them one-by-one.
First, there’s the 15 degree bow, or
会釈 (Eshaku)
[SLOW] 会釈
会釈
This light bow is used as an informal and light greeting, or to give thanks or say sorry. It’s a casual greeting, and it isn’t as proper as the next two bows.
For example, do this when you see someone you know on the street, at work, or at school.
Give them an Eshaku bow and optionally say "hello" as well.
Next, there’s the 30 degree bow, or
敬礼 (Keirei)
[SLOW] 敬礼
敬礼
Use this in formal settings when you greet, thank, or apologize to someone whom you should communicate with respectfully, such as a client, customer or a boss.
As an example, this bow—the Keirei—is used when staff welcome customers at a hotel or restaurant, or when you apologize to your boss.
And lastly, there’s the 45 degree bow, or
最敬礼 (Saikeirei)
[SLOW] 最敬礼
最敬礼
This gesture is used when you greet or apologize with the highest level of respect, or for a very serious or severe situation. This is a very formal bow which may be used at work and during official occasions.
For example, a president of a company might apologize with this bow—the Saikeirei—at a press conference.
Now on to gesture number two.
This second gesture is for when you’re embarrassed or upset.
Raise one of your hands and place it behind your slightly tilted head.
You can do this when your friend asks to use your car for moving. Instead of directly saying "No," you can use this gesture to show that you’re uncomfortable and don’t feel like doing it.
Next up is gesture number three: The "No, no" Wave.
This Japanese gesture is used when you want to deny something that has just been said.
While doing this, Japanese people often say,
違う、違う (chigau, chigau)
which means "no, no."
[SLOW] 違う、違う
違う、違う
To perform this gesture, just wave your arm and hand in front of your body or face, with your elbow fixed in position.
For example:
A: 彼はあなたの恋人？(Kare wa anata no koibito?)
Is he your boyfriend?
B: 違う、違う。(Chigau, chigau.)
"No, no." *waves no*
Listen again:
[SLOW] A: 彼はあなたの恋人？
[SLOW] B: 違う、違う
A: 彼はあなたの恋人？
B: 違う、違う
Let’s move on to hand gestures.
Gesture number four is "pointing to your nose."
The meaning of this gesture is, "me?"
This gesture is used when you want to confirm that you’re the person someone is talking to.
In western countries, people usually do this by placing their index finger on their chest. Japanese people, however, place it on their nose instead.
For example:
先生: この問題に答えてください。(Kono mondai ni kotaete kudasai.)
"Teacher: You answer this problem."
生徒: 私ですか。(Watashi desu ka.)
"Student: Me?" *points to their nose*
[SLOW] 先生: この問題に答えてください。
[SLOW] 生徒: 私ですか。
先生: この問題に答えてください。
生徒: 私ですか。
Gesture number five: Putting Your Hands Together
Some may think this is only done while "praying," but although we do this when praying at shrines, it’s also used when asking for forgiveness, asking for a small favor, or before eating to show thanks for the meal.
For example:
私のパソコンを直してくれる？お願い！(Watashi no pasokon o naoshite kureru? Onegai!)
"Can you fix my computer? Please!" *Puts hands together*
[SLOW] 私のパソコンを直してくれる？お願い！
私のパソコンを直してくれる？お願い！　
Gesture number six: Crossed Index Fingers
This means "check, please" at restaurants.
This is done by crossing your index fingers in front of your face when looking at a waiter.
Please keep in mind that this is a very casual sign, so you shouldn’t do this at very nice restaurants!
For example:
お水とお会計をお願いできますか。(O-mizu to o-kaikei o onegai dekimasu ka.)
"Can you bring water and the check, please?" *Crosses their fingers*
[SLOW] お水とお会計をお願いできますか。
お水とお会計をお願いできますか。
Gesture number seven: The "Come, Come" Hand Wave
This gesture means "come here," and it’s used when you call someone over.
Although this gesture is the other way around in other cultures—with the palm facing up, in Japan we do this with our palm facing down and toward the person you are calling over.
Please keep in mind that this gesture is used in casual situations, so it would be impolite if you do this to your boss or to the elderly.
For example:
おーい！こっちだよ。おいでー！
(Ōi! Kocchi da yo. Oidē!)
"Hey! We are here. Come over here!" 　　　　　　　*Waves*
[SLOW] おーい！こっちだよ。おいでー！
おーい！こっちだよ。おいでー！
Gesture number eight: The Chop.
This one means, "Let me pass through; I’m cutting through."
It’s done by holding one hand up and chopping the air in front of you, keeping the position of your elbow fixed.
People use this gesture when they want to make their way through a crowd. While walking through the crowd with this gesture, Japanese people often say
ちょっとすみません (Chotto sumimasen),
"Excuse me."
For example:
ちょっとすみません。通ります。
(Chotto sumimasen. Tōrimasu.)
"Excuse me, let me pass." [*Chop chop*]
[SLOW] ちょっとすみません。通ります。
ちょっとすみません。通ります。
Lastly, let’s do facial expressions.
Gesture number nine: Greeting with your eyes and nodding.
目礼 (Mokurei)
[SLOW] 目礼
目礼
In addition to the three forms of bowing, this is another common way to greet people. Japanese people use eye-contact as a greeting in situations that require you not to make noise or when you can’t move. This is a sign that you notice and acknowledge someone else’s presence.
You can do this, for example, when you want to greet someone in a noisy area at a distance, or someone who is busy talking to someone else.
Gesture number ten: Nodding
This means, "Yes; I agree."
As you may notice, while they’re listening to someone, Japanese people often nod repeatedly, and either formally say hai, hai, or casually say
うん、うん (Un un)
"yes, yes."
[SLOW] うん、うん
うん、うん
This gesture indicates that you understand and are not against the speaker, and it creates an atmosphere of harmony, which is very important in Japanese culture.
And finally, gesture number eleven: Tilting Your Head
This means "I’m not sure," or is an indirect way of saying "no." As you probably guessed, this gesture is used when you’re not sure of something or when you want to say "no" indirectly. This is often done with your eyes looking up and to the side.
To avoid hurting the person’s feelings, Japanese people often do this gesture to mean "no" without saying so directly.
For Example:
A: 今夜飲みに行かない？(Kon’ya nomi ni ikanai?)
"Do you want to go for a drink tonight?"
B: うーん…。(Ūn…)
"Mmm.." *Tilts head and looks aside*
[SLOW] A: 今夜飲みに行かない？
[SLOW] B: うーん。
A: 今夜のみにいかない？
B: うーん。
And there you have it!
In this lesson you learned the top eleven Japanese body gestures.
Now, if you want to speak even more Japanese and learn in the fastest, easiest and most fun way, go to JapanesePod101 dot com and sign up for your FREE lifetime account right now. Get our complete learning program with real lessons by real teachers.
That’s it for today!
See you next time!
またね！

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