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ITALIAN HAND GESTURES EXPLAINED INCLUDED THE NEW PINCHED FINGERS EMOJI!
Ah, Italian hand gestures are Italy’s most famous signature (hand signature in every sense). Let’s see the best ones!
LATEST UPDATE – JULY 2022
Hold on to your horses! A new pinched fingers emoji is included, and it has a strictly Italian meaning! Everyone is tagging me to tell me, so hey, could I have been left out of this article?! Certainly not!
Keep reading to see me using the now famous Italian pinched fingers emoji… way before they invented it online, including what it means!
Italians are well famous for their hand gestures. We can go on and on talking only by using our hands and perfectly understanding each other. It’s our “Trademark.”
We don’t even realize it until someone starts emulating us (see my boyfriend when I talk to my parents on the phone).
Let’s say you are on vacation in Italy, Sardinia, Tuscany, Rome…whatever! And you meet an Italian person. Yes, that strange creature, half-human, and half cartoon, who would probably be able to send you to jail for eating a pineapple pizza or drinking a cappuccino after midday (but I’m digressing!)…
What do you do to make them laugh or impress them? Easy peasy! Start to talk and use hand gestures, just like them! You will see an instant smile on their face (and they probably will think you are a bit crazy, but that’s part of the game right?.)
So let’s get started with our Italian hand gestures crash course. After reading this article, you will finally understand what happens when two Italians are around. No more secret codes, I promise! You will even be able to join the conversation and add some very deep meaning to it 😉
UPDATE 2017 – FOGNINI HAND (FINGER) GESTURE AT WIMBLEDON –
This one made me laugh! When the Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini put his finger in his mouth during his match against Andy Murray at Wimbledon, so many people started Googling “Fognini Finger in mouth gesture,” “Obscene Italian hand gestures,” “Finger in mouth meaning,” looking for an answer.
You even sent me numerous emails asking me whether or nothetrulyperformed an obscene gesture. So what’s the answer?
Not really! Italians are famous for using their hands A LOT, but not all these gestures are specific to a situation or offensive! Let’s say that we truly like to gesticulate a lot, even if it doesn’t have a proper meaning.
In this case, Fognini’s gesture wasn’t obscene and didn’t have any specific meaning. If I had to guess, as an Italian who also gesticulates a lot, he did it probably out of frustration, or he was mimicking a gag reflex for a bad shot.
Who knows? But from what I saw (I’m a massive tennis fan, and I was watching the whole thing when it happened), I didn’t see anything obscene in his gesture.
For the records, I’m not defending him because he is Italian, he was involved in a few debates regarding his behavior, and I don’t like him AT ALL. Even if he has some brilliance in his game, I am a die-hard Rafa Nadal fan, so there is no conflict here 🙂
Now back to the main topic, the real, meaningful Italian hand gestures you need to know…
Ready? Read on!
TOP ITALIAN HAND GESTURES: (Featuring me)
Disclaimer: These shots have been one of the most embarrassing things I ever did because I had to perform some very silly faces and had my (now ex) boyfriend mocking me the whole time! 🙂
For every picture, I will put a headline with the meaning and a quick explanation at the bottom. Note that, to fully understand the meaning of an Italian hand gesture, you always need to pay attention to the face! Enjoy the Italian silliness.
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N.1| DELICIOUS!
When to use it: Typically at the restaurant after a very good meal, or in a funny way to compliment a girl. Use it to impress the waiter/waitress (unless you are eating at a very posh place, in that case, it’s not very appropriate!)
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N.2: WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! (New Online Emoji!)
When should you use it?
One of your friends is saying something totally silly? Or trying to bullsh*t you? Using this hand gesture will clearly state that you ain’t buying any of it!.
Or you can even use it to simply piss them off even if they are talking about astrophysics. This is one of my favorites! Effective and straight to the point. Don’t forget to use a proper face!
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N. 3: YOU ARE CRAZY!
When should you use it?
I’ll use some silly fictionary examples: You’re on a vacation in Thailand, and instead of enjoying the beach, your friend has the brilliant idea of swimming in a Piranha-filled pool? That’s the time to use this hand gesture!! (No, don’t try and look for it, there are many activities to do in Koh Tao (Thailand), but nothing like swimming with Piranhas!!)
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N. 4: GO TO HELL!!
When should you use it? (Hint: whenever you want!!) 😀
So…Your friend starts mocking you because you refuse to go swimming with the Piranhas with him. He says you are a coward, and you don’t know how to have fun in life. Feel free to use this sign! Avoid using this hand gesture with your girlfriend, especially if she’s Italian. Don’t tell me I haven’t warned you!!
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N. 5: I GIVE UP!
When should you use it: After sending your friend to hell with the previous gesture, unbelievably, he is still trying to convince you about the Piranhas.
You don’t want to argue with him anymore and want to drop the subject. This sign is perfect for the occasion! It also means the classic and straightforward: WHATEVER! (If your girlfriend is Italian and uses this hand gesture, combined with a spiteful or poker face… RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! 😀
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N.6: YOU ARE STUBBORN!!
Where to use it: Your friend keeps insisting on the piranhas over and over. This is a good way to tell him that he’s stubborn and hard-headed! (maybe use a less smiling face to be more credible).
Do you have a lovely Italian Girlfriend? Listen to me carefully… NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRc*msTANCES, USE THIS HAND GESTURE WITH HER, OR YOU’RE A DEAD MAN. Your Italian girlfriend, like any woman on the planet, is always right!
ITALIAN GESTUREN. 7: YOU ARE BORING!!
When should you use it:
You tried everything: You sent your friend to hell and said he was crazy, but he is persistent. He wants you to swim with Piranhas with him. Tell him that he is getting boring by shaking your hands in front of you (and rolling your eyes).
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N. 8: ENOUGH!!
When should you use it?
You don’t want to hear another word about Piranhas. Or anything else. With this hand gesture, you close the conversation for good.
ITALIAN HAND GESTURE N. 9: I DON’T CARE, I DON’T GIVE A DAMN!
Where to use it:
Your friend finally decides to go swimming with the damn piranhas by himself. He comes back, alive, with a half-eaten bloody foot. This sign perfectly tells him you don’t give a damn.
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 10: I HAVE AN IDEA!!
When to use it: You want to dissuade your friend from proposing other rent-less adventures, and you had the brilliant idea of involving him in a scuba diving course.. go to him and, with an excited face, tell him that you had the most incredible idea by using this sign!
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 11: IF I CATCH YOU, I KILL YOU!!
When to use it: After telling your friend about your idea, he confesses that he just signed up for another activity. He’s going to swim with big white sharks. This sign exactly “daammn, don’t let me catch you! Otherwise, I’ll ruin you with my hands!”
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 12: SIGNS AGAINST BAD LUCK
When to use it:Even with his absurd ideas, you still care about your friend, so before he leaves for his next adventure, you want to perform this sign to wish him good luck. This gesture means, ” I hope nothing bad happens to you. I will exorcise the bad luck for you”!
You can also use this sign for the opposite reason. You are watching your favorite football game, and the referee just gave a penalty to the other team. Before they try to score, you perform this sign to wish them bad luck.
Italians, football, and superstition! 🙂 what a great combination!
ITALIAN GESTURE N.13: SILLY ME I FORGOT!!
When to use it: You finally signed up for the scuba diving course with your friend. On the morning of your first lesson, you woke up at 10, and you suddenly realized that you had just missed the 6 am immersion. That’s the face you will show to the world (if you are Italian, of course) 🙂
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 14: SILLY ME! I REMEMBER NOW!!
When to use it:After all your lectures about Piranhas and attending the scuba diving course, your friend is really pissed off at you. He reminds you that you told him to get ready by 5:50 am for the first class.
You play dumb and pretend you were too drunk to remember what you said the previous night (if you are in Koh Tao, he’s going to believe you eventually!).
But, right now…He’s insisting. Now you can perform “The face” as you just remembered out of the blue! This can be a genuine face or a fake face, depending on the circ*mstances. Pay attention to catch the liar!
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 15: HE/SHE THINKS IT’S SMART!!!
When to Use it:Your friend believes your innocent face, you turn your face to your other friends and make this face as to say: ” He thinks he’s smart.” You can also use this gesture when you genuinely think that someone said something smart. Italians don’t always fake it! 🙂
ITALIAN GESTUREN. 16: COME HERE YOU!
Where to use it:You want to have a private chat with your friend before he goes swimming with the sharks. You can call him just waving your hand up and down. If you make little, almost invisible movements, it means that you need to tell him some sort of secret.
ITALIAN GESTURE N. 17: BE CAREFUL, WATCH OUT!
When to use it: Your friend comes closer to you, and after you perform the superstitious gesture for good luck, you add this sign to warn him about the danger and to incite him to be extremely careful in his adventure. After all the lies and mocking, you still care about your friend!
So my dear friends! This shenanigan about Piranhas, sharks and bad travel friendship is officially over! I hope you appreciate my acting qualities and my vast knowledge of Italian traditions and costumes! 🙂
For more information, or to attend one of my VERY popular courses in “Italian Shenanigan-ism/silliness volume 1” just contact me or feel free to comment on the space below!
Now you are officially ready to conquer the world!
Oh, and if you didn’t like my post…
JUST KIDDING!
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