Title: Japanese body language and gestures - Lingualift
Headings: Japanese body language and gestures
Japanese body language and gestures
The basics of not offending or frightening people
Counting backwards and beckoning someone to go away
Looking at your shoes
Saying what’s not said

Content: Good posture tells the other person that you’re respectful and attentive. It’s bad to sit slumped over like a teenager at McDonalds and people don’t usually lean casually against walls. Sitting with arms or legs outspread is a serious sin in Japan – you’re taking up space. This causes irritation but it’s also a sign of confidence, which many Japanese interpret as over-confidence or arrogance. Don’t point. Even if indicating an inanimate object, Japanese people use the open hand as if leading the way toward it. The open hand gesture should be done gently so it doesn’t feel like you’re jabbing at someone. Counting backwards and beckoning someone to go away
Japanese hand gestures can cause a bit of confusion. Perhaps the most common one is the ‘come here,’ which looks like ‘go away’ to foreign folk. You let your wrist go limp and flap your fingers at the person.