New answers tagged cross-culture
0
I have gamed/worked with people from all over the world. I don't remember ever coming across that emoji. Although I probably have seen it, I can tell you is not common and not everyone will understand it.
If you want an answer from a global comunity point of view, the answer is:
No, is not common across many countries/cultures. Very few emojis are ...
1
This is a Japanese gesture, and has infiltrated other countries due to globalization.
arielCo identified this gesture as a "finger twiddle". A quick google image search of the term reveals an overwhelming abundance of anime images (ignoring the Simpsons images and references that incorrectly associate Mr. Burns' finger steeple with twiddling). Anyone who ...
0
In the US, a similar gesture and meaning would be pointing at oneself with both fingers, with an accompanying grimacing or bashful expression.
I would not immediately recognize two fingers pointing to each other, but may be able to get the meaning from context and situation.
2
Chinese instant messenger apps WeChat and QQ (both made by the company Tencent) have their own standard emoji set which feature a few emojis which I have never seen elsewhere. One of them is this one, which I think resembles the gesture you describe:
Since virtually everyone in China uses one of these apps (or both), I would expect most people in China to ...
0
As an American, the emoji collage:
😬
👉👈
communicates to me that you are either stuck in a Chinese finger trap and need assistance or you wish to sword fight; hint, not metal swords.
I don't know how it would be interpreted in an international setting.
However, if you made this expression in person then I would understand it in the way you described.
...
3
On top of the very nice answer arielCo provided, general recommendation (from first-hand experience working with 6 different nationalities on a daily basis) is that you always use full sentences to convey what you want and be careful with gestures.
Lots of gestures can have very different meanings depending on the country and you can do a lot of damage ...
24
I recognized the gesture immediately from the title:
Some call it “finger twiddling”; it's a self-touching fidgeting behavior and I've seen variations of it IRL (eg joining the palms and tapping the tips of the indexes). It's meant to convey apprehension. Still, I'm not sure I'd recognize 👉👈 in a chat.
I think the 😬 alone does that, and I've used it ...
3
In the US, I would understand the idea - and I don't want to be rude - but it would strike me as comically awkward. It reminds me of someone writing a stutter into their words to show how awkward they feel.
Perhaps it's a cultural difference, or just comes across poorly in translation, but I would find even your first message overly deferential. Combining ...
36
Maybe it's just me, but in the UK I would not understand any of that.
It's completely alien to me.
If you work in an international setting, it might be better to use full words and sentences to express your thoughts.
5
Hmm, in the US, the usual form of a non-verbal "Sorry, that was my fault" signal is a kind of tapping your chest with either the index finger or palm. This is more or less a generic "me" gesture though, and would depend on context to get the "my fault" part across.
The circumstances that I've seen a "pointing two index fingers" together gesture are usually ...
13
Disclaimer: I never used or saw such usage of that emoji, therefore my answer focuses on its IRL understanding and offers an emoji alternative that may be better understood in an international context.
I do use this gesture when I want to express my discomfort asking for help or because I did something wrong. I don't know if it's a gesture that'd be ...
-1
I have lived in England all my life and personally I have never seen this gesture.
However, I think I would understand it if I saw it. The grimace face is a fairly universal apologetic expression, even if I wouldn't necessarily pick up on the finger gesture.
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