YSK: When traveling abroad, hand gestures can mean different things in different cultures.

TheOneWithTheHair@lemmy.world to You Should Know@lemmy.world – 113 points –

Why YSK: No sense in making the locals mad unless you mean to. In some Middle Eastern countries, a thumbs-up is comparable to the middle finger. A peace sign in the UK is OK if your palm is facing away from you; otherwise, it's an insult. Pointing with your index finger is offensive in Malaysia. An OK symbol is not OK in Brazil, it's that smelly hole you normally sit upon.

Reader's Digest did an entire article on these gestures: https://www.rd.com/article/common-hand-gestures-rude-in-other-countries/

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Fascinating. I am so used to giving the single head nod as an acknowledgedment to people I might have to avoid it if I'm aboard

pointing with your finger in any country is rude. just use a discreet open palm if you wish to gesture someone's attention somewhere. what happened to common courtesy?? so many people just dont know their a,b,cs of politeness. what a shitshow.

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