Korean heart with your fingers. Meaning, name, other interesting gestures of Koreans

You can express your kind disposition to another person not only in words, but also with the appropriate facial expressions, glances or gestures. In Korea, there is a “heart” gesture for this, better known as the Korean finger heart.

The heart shown by the fingers is evidence of sympathy for the interlocutor, and perhaps even love. Koreans are very fond of expressing their emotions with the help of gestures, it has happened over the millennia, this is part of tradition, part of Korean culture.

The culture of gestures in Korea

In Korean culture, gestures are part of the etiquette developed from ancient religious rituals and are directly related to the existing Buddhist and Confucian traditions. The gesture associated with tradition reflects everyone's place in the hierarchy of Korean society.

A gesture that is used incorrectly can cause widespread condemnation and affect a person's reputation.

The most common gesture that reflects Korean culture is the bow, used for both greeting and farewell. Moreover, the order of the bow, its depth can tell a lot to an interested observer familiar with Korean culture.

The Korean Finger Heart is another widely used gesture in Korean society and can be seen on TV screens, in glossy magazines featuring local celebrities expressing love for their fans.

There are many such gestures, many of them have different meanings from the ideas of Europeans. If you use gestures in Korea in the European sense, then it is easy to make an irreparable mistake. It is better for foreigners to give up any gestures at first.

Interesting gestures of Koreans

Koreans are hospitable people, treat guests with respect, trying to please them and show every respect. But they are sensitive to their cultural traditions, so you should not offend them by using gestures during communication that they will interpret in their own way.

The basic rules of behavior and gestures must be known in advance so as not to get into an uncomfortable position from ignorance. In Korea, it is not customary to touch strangers, especially those who are older or of the opposite sex. Blowing your nose in public is considered offensive.

Being at a party, pouring yourself is the height of rudeness, any owner will be offended. But you also need to be able to hold a glass, this is done with your right hand, while holding your left with your right hand. It is required to drink correctly, if there is an older person at the table, you need to cover the glass with your hand and, turning away, drink it.

At the table, champing is welcome, it is believed that this is how the guest shows the owner that everything is very tasty. In no case should you stick sticks into food, such a gesture has to do with death.

Koreans are good-natured and cheerful people, they love to laugh, although laughter was forbidden in ancient times, it was considered a manifestation of a threat, since teeth were visible. Now, of course, this is not the case, but the tradition of covering your mouth while laughing has remained. This gesture is required when a person yawns or uses a toothpick.

When talking with another person, you must keep your hands in sight, not in any case, behind your back or in your pocket. This can inflict great offense on the interlocutor.

It is impossible to remember all the gestures used by Koreans in everyday life, but the basic ones are worth knowing clearly.

Heart Gesture

There are several ways to express feelings of love with a gesture. As a rule, they try to portray the heart for this. This is done using the palms of the hands or simply using the arms bent at the elbows and raised above the head or using the fingers.

The Korean heart, depicted by the fingers, originated in the late 19th century, is now widespread. More often than others, pop stars use it, thus showing love for their fans. A gesture is depicted using the crossed index and thumb and the rest of the fingers pressed to the palm.

All types of images of the heart are called "heart gesture". The finger gesture, despite its recent emergence in Korean culture, is widely known worldwide as the "Korean heart shape."

The heart gesture, loved by the pop stars, continues its transformation. So one of the members of the South Korean girl group LOONA depicted a gesture called "Bitten off heart."

First, she formed a circle with her palms, connecting her thumbs, index and middle fingers, then brought this circle to her mouth and pretended to bite this circle. At the same time, the index and middle fingers bent down, and an image of the heart was obtained.

Another innovation in the use of the "heart gesture" was introduced by a member of a similar group WJSN, placing two halves of the heart, created by hand, on her cheeks. This use of the gesture got its name from the participant in Luda's Heart.

The Korean heart continues to improve with the fingers of the pop stars. The “Insider Heart”, an invention of DIA singer Yebin, is created by joining the index fingers and thumbs, with the rest of the fingers representing wings.

With two hands

Koreans try to do many things with both hands, doing something with one hand is considered a violation of a tradition that goes back centuries. This is a kind of demonstration that there is no weapon in the hands and there is no desire to harm. You can observe this everywhere, the seller in the store takes money and gives change with both hands, any thing is taken and accepted in the same way, this also applies to gestures.

Many gestures are shown with two hands:

• Quote gesture - the palms of both hands are clenched into fists, and the bent two fingers, the index and middle, are placed at the level of the head, the phalanges of the fingers are flexed more often, depicting a quotation mark. With this gesture, a certain phrase is highlighted and emphasized. Not used in a business setting.
• Malice gesture - hands are clenched into fists, and bent index fingers are brought to the temporal part of the head, it turns out such a "horned goat", accompanied by a corresponding look. Indicates that the person is angry with someone. Used in normal conversation with people of the same circle.
• Admiration gesture - shake hands at the head, bending the elbows. Used in an office or work setting as a joke.
• Clap hands gesture - clapping hands near the chest and in the distance into a fist with the image of joy on the face. This is a gesture of willingness to take an action or agree with something and approve. Used in any communication.
• Hands wrap around the head - clasp the head with two hands, palms at the temple, drooping head. It is used in a difficult life situation, telling the interlocutor about the lack of knowledge of the way out of the circumstances.

Promise

If people who are on friendly terms communicate, then when making a promise, it is customary to secure it with an appropriate gesture. This is a guarantee, like a signed contract.

It is carried out as follows: the thumb and little finger protrude, then the contracting parties interlock with their little fingers, while the thumbs are directed towards the opponent, it turns out that a seal is put. Used often, but in a close friendly environment. It is considered a big shame and loss of reputation to break agreements of this kind.

Beckoning people

In the Russian tradition, there is a gesture used when calling another person. This is done with an open palm facing up. Using such a technique in Korea can cause resentment and negative attitudes towards the interlocutor, thus they call the dogs there. A different gesture is used for people.

The gesture is called "beckoning with the hand", for this the hand is extended forward, the palm is turned to the ground, the fingers of the hand are rapidly bent and unbend. Used to call a person closer.

Greeting

Korean welcome gestures are different from European ones. A Korean greeting is a bow. According to the cultural tradition, this is a kind of ritual that emphasizes the manifestation of politeness and respect for a person. Bow is a cultural value in Korea that exists and is still observed today.

Bows are different, but for any bow it is obligatory to use another gesture called consu. It is carried out by covering the right hand with the left hand, the fingers on the right hand are pressed against the palm, and the thumb is hugged with the same finger of the left hand. The arms are slightly extended forward, located in front of the stomach, without touching the body.

If a woman makes a consu, she covers her left hand with her right. This is how the connection with the teaching about the energies of male YANG and female YIN is manifested.

The belt bow often used by Koreans is called kenne. Such a bow was not previously part of the cultural tradition, appeared at the beginning of the twentieth century, as a result of lifestyle changes due to the increase in international contacts. It is performed in two ways.

If the bowler is dressed in a modern suit, then he places his hands at the seams, slightly bending his palms in the form of a small tubercle, then slightly tilts his head forward, makes a waist bow with his body, freezing for a while in this position, then straightens up and stands, respectfully looking at the interlocutor.

If the greeting is in national dress, then the hands are placed on the stomach with a gesture to the consu. It is used for greeting and shaking hands, but it is used mainly at business meetings, getting to know each other, shaking the opponent's hands with both hands, shaking them slightly for a rather long time. If you shake with one hand, then the other supports the shaken hand.

The tradition of Korean bows is governed by the rules of etiquette, which describe how and to whom to bow, what the depth of the bow should be. As a rule, bows are set of 3 types at 30, 45, 90 degrees, but there are bows with full flexion of the body, when the head almost touches the knees.

Modern etiquette defines 5 basic types of greetings.

The Korean heart with the fingers can be considered a greeting, lovers, seeing each other from afar, perform this gesture, since they cannot hug each other when they meet. Such a manifestation of feelings is condemned by society, but they do not need bows when they meet, the gesture of the heart has already done everything.

Manifestation of male friendship and friendliness

Friendship between Korean men has its own characteristics that are different from Western ideas about male friendship. In Korea, no one is surprised to find young men walking down the street, holding hands or hugging each other's shoulders.

These are just gestures that emphasize strong friendship and have nothing to do with same-sex love, as a European might perceive it.

Foreigners are prohibited from such behavior. People who know each other may just stand close to each other or walk side by side, but trying to walk in front or forcing another to walk behind is considered rude.

Patting on the back is also considered a manifestation of friendship among Korean men, you should not drop his hand at this moment, this will cause a strong resentment.

Reluctance to listen

During a conversation, sometimes there are times when a person does not want to hear and listen to an opponent. In the Russian tradition, this can be manifested by an absent gaze or averting the eyes to the side, without gesticulating at the same time. In Korea, the appropriate gesture is used in such cases. This is the usual plugging of the ears with the index fingers, or even just covering the ears with the palms of the hands.

The culture of each nation has its own characteristics and traditions, which may please or may cause rejection. The Korean heart, made with the fingers, involuntarily evokes sympathy for the people and for their unusual, but beautiful culture of relationships.

Videos about gestures not allowed in Korea

Dos and Don'ts in Korea: