# gesture for money in your culture



## fenixpollo

_Is there a hand gesture, sign or signal for "money" in your culture? Can you describe it?_

*English:*
*Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.

Other threads related to gestures: 
two fingers together in Britain; is sign language international?; crossing oneself & superstitions; counting on your fingers; attracting attention in a restaurant; tic-tac systems; French gestures


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## french4beth

For French (found on french.about.com)


> To indicate that you need money or that something is expensive, hold out your hand with your fingers and thumb touching, and rub your thumb across your fingertips.


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## Etcetera

In Russian it seems to be the same as in English.


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## moura

Im Portugal it's almost the same - we use more the thumb and index rubbing each other, and the remained 3 fingers stay quiet.

But I have noticed that we count 1-2-3 in a diferent way regarding some foreign people: we raise the left hand and take the right hand near it, to  count with the right index, the three left fingers - 1 at little finger, 2 at ring finger, and 3 at middle finger (it would have been a lot less confusing to explain with gestures... ).


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## Arenita

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> _Is there a hand gesture, sign or signal for "money" in your culture? Can you describe it?_
> 
> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.
> 
> Other threads related to gestures:
> two fingers together in Britain; is sign language international?; crossing oneself & superstitions; counting on your fingers; attracting attention in a restaurant; tic-tac systems; French gestures


 
Hi fenixpollo:

I have to tell you that in Peru we use the same gesture.  In addition, there is another one.  You have your left hand streched and with your right fist you hit your left hand.


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## Etcetera

Arenita said:
			
		

> Hi fenixpollo:
> 
> I have to tell you that in Peru we use the same gesture.  In addition, there is another one.  You have your left hand streched and with your right fist you hit your left hand.


We have a similar gesture, but we only stretch our right hand. This gesture can mean asking where's the money, for instance. 
I don't use many gestures, so I know rather little about them.


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## belén

> In Portugal it's almost the same - we use more the thumb and index rubbing each other, and the remained 3 fingers stay quiet.



Same in the country next door to Portugal


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## natasha2000

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> _Is there a hand gesture, sign or signal for "money" in your culture? Can you describe it?_
> 
> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.
> 
> Other threads related to gestures:
> two fingers together in Britain; is sign language international?; crossing oneself & superstitions; counting on your fingers; attracting attention in a restaurant; tic-tac systems; French gestures


 
I guess that the money talk is the same and equally understood in all the countries in the world. 

Same in Serbia.


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## panjabigator

Same in India (but it could be due to westernization hehe).


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## Eugin

I would have liked to be original, but I can´t ... we use the same sign in Argentina as well....

And do people use this sign to mean that they do not have any money? 

Cheers!!


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## danielfranco

In Mexico City when we mean "money", we make a fist, turning the knuckles up and make a "U" shape with index and thumb facing it forward, all the while shaking the hand up and down slightly. Somehow, when someone makes that signal to me, I hear "LANA" (Mexico City's slang for "moola") inside my head.


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## .   1

G'day fenixpollo,
We have the same gesture downunder and when the hand is placed behind the back and the fingers rubbed with the thumb it is an indication of a bribe.

.,,


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## fenixpollo

Thanks for the link, Outsider. You may notice it was one of the links I included in tiny print in my first post. 

For a second, there, Natasha, I almost thought you were right about the universality of the money gesture.   I have been surprised by how many cultures use the rubbing of the fingers! 





			
				danielfranco said:
			
		

> In Mexico City when we mean "money", we make a fist, turning the knuckles up and make a "U" shape with index and thumb facing it forward, all the while shaking the hand up and down slightly.


 Thanks, Dan! I was waiting for an expert to share the Mexican version!  Clarification for ya: is the thumb crooked, or is it pointing upwards?


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## danielfranco

fenixpollo said:
			
		

> Clarification for ya: is the thumb crooked, or is it pointing upwards?


 
Right! Right, right! I oversimplified: The thumb and the index are supposed to be held almost completely crooked, in the shape of hooks...
I wonder what it's supposed to mean...
The shape of a coin? The face of a President? The horns of Beelzebub?
Crud, I don't know...
Does anyone know out there?


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## panjabigator

lupita_riofrio said:
			
		

> Hey, and what about paying? In Spain, when you need the bill and the waiter is a bit far, we have a gesture: we sign with index and thumb on the air.... that means we are asking for the bill.... I guess it's the gesture of signing the VISA bill. Weird, isn't it? Do you also do this kind of things?



 I feel like I understand this gesture and that Americans do it too.  It gets the waiter from a far correct?  You can also nod while doing it so they understand.  Do you agree?


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## malinche

danielfranco said:
			
		

> In Mexico City when we mean "money", we make a fist, turning the knuckles up and make a "U" shape with index and thumb facing it forward, all the while shaking the hand up and down slightly. Somehow, when someone makes that signal to me, I hear "LANA" (Mexico City's slang for "moola") inside my head.


 

The same is used in Guatemala.  This sign is more used when a lot of money is involved...


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## GenJen54

*Mod Note*: Fenix very nicely placed those links in his first thread so those who were interested in discussing THOSE topics could do so. That was not an invitation to discuss those other topics here. 

When I have time, I will remove this thread for a few moments so I can move all of those posts to the appropriate threads. For now, they shall remain deleted.

To remind you, this thread is about hand gestures you make in your country to indicate money. Thank you.


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## maxiogee

We use the rubbing fingers together gesture here in Ireland — nothing strange there, it seems to be a universal symbol for notes. 
What I do find odd that is that it is used even when people are indicating coinage, for say a parking meter or vending machine.

Expanding on the thread's topic slightly — is there a separate gesture for coinage in your culture?


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## fenixpollo

That was in the back of my mind, too, Tony, and I assumed that it would come up sooner or later.  Thanks for bringing it up! 

As far as I know in the US, there isn't a gesture for coins that is different from the general one for money. It's worth noting that we don't use coins for anything over a dollar (we _have_ them, but we don't _use_ them). The largest US coin that is widely used is 25 cents.


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## ulcer

The same is true in China...
Ulcer


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## Paulfromitaly

fenixpollo said:


> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.



That's what Italians would do too.


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## sinclair001

As Fenixpollo indicated, is understood the same gesture in Colombia


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## Chazzwozzer

fenixpollo said:


> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.*





Eugin said:


> And do people use this sign to mean that they do not have any money?



Same in Turkey, it is understood by everybody.


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## Heba

fenixpollo said:


> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.


 
Same here in Egypt


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## Lugubert

I can't remember ever having encountered such a gesture (or another one carrrying that meaning) in Sweden.


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## badgrammar

Money is money, after all, and people have been trading and doing commerce since...

In France I can confirm that the thumb-two finger rub is a very understandable sign (probably used more in France than in the US?), as is the "signing of the check" gesture (spoken about before) to grab your server's attention when you want to pay the bill.

Danieldefranco's closed-fist-palm-up gesture I am not at all familiar with, but the empty pocket thing I am sure any civilization that wears clothes with pockets would understand -- perhaps in the same way that we all  instinctively bring our hands to our neck when choking  and others will understand, regardless of where they're from.  

I would hypothesize that some gestures are universal because they relate to the human condition - for example, a hand to the mouth and wide eyes means "I'm hungry, I need to eat...", anywhere on the planet.

All related to the human condition.  

But in order to eat, to survive, you need what?  Lana, moolah, money... Money is so intertwined with civilization and the basic act of trading/buying/selling that we have perhaps always needed an international sign that says "Money".  

Great topic.  I wonder how far that particular sign goes back?  Atleast since the advent of money in the form of a "bill" (treasurer's note).  May well have been different before, when coins were the norm.


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## badgrammar

Lugubert said:


> I can't remember ever having encountered such a gesture (or another one carrrying that meaning) in Sweden.



Lugu!  Drats!  You have just spoiled my hypothesis!  !

Are you sure it is unfamiliar to you? There must be a sign there for "money', as in:  It's expensive or I need money or where''s the dough?


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## Encolpius

The same in *Hungary*.


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## guilaK

It is the same in Iran.


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## Perseas

fenixpollo said:


> _Is there a hand gesture, sign or signal for "money" in your culture? Can you describe it?_
> 
> *English:*
> *Put the index finger and middle finger together and touch them to the thumb, then rub the thumb gently against the two fingers.* I believe that it imitates the sound/feel of rubbing paper money between the fingers.



The same in Greece.


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## Ёж!

natasha2000 said:


> I guess that the money talk is the same and equally understood in all the countries in the world.


Either that, or not understood at all.  Have never watched this sign; I am not sure I would even notice if someone used it. So, not equally; in Russia there are people totally not aware of it. 


Etcetera said:


> We have a similar gesture, but we only stretch our right hand. This gesture can mean asking where's the money, for instance.


This one I'm familiar with. Looks especially demanding when you waive your fingers a little.  But that refers not only to money…


badgrammar said:


> I would hypothesize that some gestures are universal because they relate to the human condition - for example, a hand to the mouth and wide eyes means "I'm hungry, I need to eat...", anywhere on the planet.


 Except the exact place where I live (I would think it means astonishment…)


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## dadane

Arenita said:


> I have to tell you that in Peru we use the same gesture. In addition, there is another one. You have your left hand streched and with your right fist you hit your left hand.



In English that would be interpreted as a demand for payment, rather than a general representation of money. It is usually done by slapping the palm of the outstretched hand with the fingers of the other hand.


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## jsvillar

In Spain is as in England, you join index and middle fingers and rub them with your thumb.
To ask for the bill at a restaurant I raise my hand and make a gesture of signing in the air (signning for the credit card, I guess).
To represent the act of giving money you crook your index finger and make a pince with it and your thumb (as if holding a bill). Then you hit with them the palm of the other hand. And sometimes you say 'Martín Martín' meaning you have to pay cash.


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## JamesM

Why "Martin"?


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## jsvillar

JamesM said:


> Why "Martin"?


No idea, I'll try to look for it in internet. An example would be: 'And you know, they don't give credit. It's Martín Martín (while you hit your hand as if you were holding bills in the other hand)'


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## dreamlike

The gesture in Polish is as described in the first post. It might also be used to indicate that to achieve something, some palms had to be greased, if you know what I mean.


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## guilaK

It's exactly the same as the US in Iran.


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