Hand gestures and signs have become an accepted language by most people since there are people who cannot speak, and there are also people who choose not to speak. Nevertheless, hand gestures are also an excellent way to convey messages in a much simpler form.

Using the hand gesture emojis, you also have to be careful in using them even though they look “innocent” or have no negative meaning. There are offensive and harmful interpretations behind it when used incorrectly. Here are the most commonly used emojis and the positive and negative meanings behind them.

Ok Hand Emoji

The ok hand sign is the actual “ok” word shortened from “okay.” The ok hand emoji have very distinct interpretations behind it: both positive and negative meanings. It can mean the satisfaction or contentment of something already. This emoji can also mean that you agree on something.

These emoji describe that the thumb touches the index finger, making an “o” sign or a circle shape. While this emoji does not look like it has a negative meaning behind it, there are countries or places that consider this symbol an insult to them.

Think before sending and using this emoji since it can harm or insult them. It is better to know who the recipient of this symbol is. Turkey, along with other Middle East countries, does not accept this symbol.

Person Gesturing OK Emoji

This person gesturing ok emoji can have the same meaning as the previously mentioned ok hand emoji, but this one shows a half body of a person doing the ok hand sign. This emoji is not necessarily considered as a body language since it is only using the hand.

This emoji has no specified gender to it to prevent assuming one’s gender. However, this emoji has other color variants and specific gender. The color variants are for the skin tone of the person emoji, so you may choose the skin color you want. You may also identify which gender of the emoji you want.

Raised Back of Hand Emoji

This emoji that is raised back of the hand is very common, especially in real life. This emoji can also be used virtually since we are moving to a virtual or online system for now because of the pandemic going on. This hand gesture is commonly seen in classrooms, meetings, conferences, seminars, and other online interactions.

It is an act of offering your participation in a specific event that you are in. This gesture is used when somebody asks you, or a group of people that include you, to answer their question. This gesture can also be made if someone wants to get someone’s attention to ask them a question instead.

Another meaning behind this emoji is that you can use this to stop a person from doing an act. Before using this emoji, even if this emoji looks like it only has a positive or neutral connotation, you must understand that this sign language can have a contrary interpretation to other people, especially for Greek people.

Crossed Fingers Emoji

As you already know, cross fingers are a symbol to wish yourself or someone luck before participating in something they are trying to win. This gesture can also mean that you want something to happen to you that is positive. Aside from that, this can also have religious interpretations.

Some religious groups use this gesture to request their Heavenly God protection or a shield from every lousy luck or evil spirit that could harm, tempt, or destroy them. Another use for this emoji is to express a white lie, which means you are saying something that you do not expect.

Just like some “innocent” hand gesture emojis, this cross fingers emoji can also be dangerous to use since this can have harmful or offensive meaning behind them. In Vietnam, this gesture has the complete opposite of this. Vietnamese find this emoji rude since it can mean that you wish they won’t receive good luck.

The Folded Hands Emoji

This folded hands emoji is one of the most misinterpreted emojis in history. Still, other meanings have become acceptable since everything can have different meanings or interpretations behind them. It all depends on how you use the gesture and who the receiver of this emoji is.

Sometimes, you can use this emoji to give someone a high-five. This reference is the most popular interpretation behind the folded hands emoji. Just like the previously mentioned emoji, this symbol is also used by religious groups or organizations.

If you are a churchgoer, this sign is commonly used when they worship their God to offer their gratefulness towards Him. This emoji can also be used for greetings or support to another person or group of people. That is why this emoji is called the “praying hands emoji.”

Know when to use gesture emojis

In this modern world, and even the older years, hand gestures have become one of the known languages or forms of communication. Since they have distinct interpretations, we all have to be careful in using them. They can turn friendships into enemies.