Giving someone 'the finger' in Japanese Sign Language doesn't mean what you think it does?
The seemingly rude gesture is just a normal word when you put it into context - but can you guess what it means?
It might seem like a rude gesture to us - but giving someone 'the finger' simply means 'brother' when you put it into the context of Japanese Sign Language.
Sticking up one middle finger is translated as 'ani' or 兄 which means 'older brother'.
Alternating two middle fingers in the air can be translated as 'kyoudai' or 兄弟 which simply means 'siblings'.
And while the Western world might attach a very different meaning to this gesture, it has never been known as a profanity in Japan.
Connotations: This gesture doesn't mean what you think it does
Japanese children are taught to attach names to all the fingers, according to Kotaku.com.
