Title: Insulting Gestures: Japan: Gesture 5 (Pointing One’s Fingers) | Dartmouth Folklore Archive
Headings: Insulting Gestures: Japan: Gesture 5 (Pointing One’s Fingers)
Insulting Gestures: Japan: Gesture 5 (Pointing One’s Fingers)
Pointing One’s Fingers (Young Jang)
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Collector’s Name: Young Jang

Content: After graduation, he continued to live in Japan and work as an entrepreneur in commerce and trading between East Asian countries. He is fluent in both Japanese and Korean. As a business owner he splits his time operating and living in both Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. Contextual Data: Cultural Context: Japanese society often has strict set of social norms that people should not act too silly or offend one another publicly. However in a tense or heated situation, someone may act in a very explicitly rude way such as pointing one’s finger at another person. Pointing the finger is considered rude in Japanese culture because the person pointing is associated with explicitly calling out the other individual for their wrong behavior or actions. Repeatedly pointing while speaking to another person is considered a sign of extreme frustration or an expression of dissatisfaction. The action is associated with aggression and anger.