Chinese hand gestures and their meanings
Six to ten have signs of their own, shaped like the characters. Learn them before you shop in a market.
We make Mandarin The Wild.
Numbers 1 to 10 on one hand
The signs bridge the many Chinese dialects, which say numbers differently, and traders once bargained with them by touch, hidden in a sleeve; 四 (4) and 十 (10) sound alike in some of them1.
| Number | Chinese | The hand |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一 yī | index finger up |
| 2 | 二 èr | index and middle fingers up |
| 3 | 三 sān | middle, ring and little fingers up, thumb holding the index down |
| 4 | 四 sì | four fingers up, thumb folded in |
| 5 | 五 wǔ | all five fingers out |
| 6 | 六 liù | thumb and little finger out, the rest folded |
| 7 | 七 qī | fingertips of thumb, index and middle finger pinched together |
| 8 | 八 bā | thumb and index finger out in an L |
| 9 | 九 jiǔ | index finger bent into a hook |
| 10 | 十 shí | index fingers of both hands crossed, or a closed fist |
Six to ten vary by region. In northern China a closed fist can be 10 or 0; in Taiwan 9 is four fingers out, the little finger folded; in the south 7 can be the index finger pointing down with the thumb out1. The hooked finger for 9 can also mean death, so it is not a gesture to make idly.
这个手势是什么意思？
gesture; hand signal
Also written 手勢
A sign means the number, not its size: five fingers can be 5, 50 or 500, and in a shop the price around it says which. The same signs name weekdays and months, which are numbered in Chinese: 6 for Saturday, 星期六1.
Counting on your fingers
Counting is done another way: start with a closed hand and open one finger per number, the thumb first, up to five, then fold them again from the thumb for six to ten1.
The fist-and-palm salute (拱手)
Holding one hand over the other in front of the chest, fingers together, often with a small bow, is 拱手 (gǒngshǒu) or 作揖 (zuòyī), a greeting and sign of respect that goes back to the Zhou dynasty, more than two thousand years ago. Men put the left hand over the right, women the right over the left; during COVID-19, officials in Taiwan used it instead of shaking hands2. Martial artists use a variant, the right fist in the left palm, 抱拳 (bàoquán).
Tapping to thank for tea
When someone fills your cup, tap the table with your index and middle fingers. It is a quiet thank-you, common in southern China, where meals come with many cups of tea, and said to copy a servant bowing to an emperor travelling in disguise3. Our guide to Chinese etiquette has the rest of the table manners.
The finger heart (比心)
Crossing the thumb and index finger into a small heart came from South Korea and spread with K-pop4; in Chinese it is 比心 (bǐxīn), “to make a heart”.
To say the numbers aloud as well as show them, our Chinese numbers page has every number with sound, and the extension gives the meaning of any Chinese word on any page.
Questions
How do you show 6 to 10 with one hand in Chinese?
6: thumb and little finger out. 7: thumb, index and middle fingertips pinched together. 8: thumb and index finger in an L. 9: index finger hooked. 10: index fingers of both hands crossed, or a fist. The signs for 7 to 10 vary by region.
What does the Chinese fist-and-palm gesture mean?
It is 拱手 (gǒngshǒu) or 作揖 (zuòyī), a traditional greeting and sign of respect: one hand held over the other in front of the chest, often with a small bow; men put the left hand over the right. Martial artists cup the right fist in the left palm (抱拳).
Why do Chinese people tap the table when you pour tea?
Tapping two fingers on the table is a silent thank-you for pouring tea, most common in southern China.
Sources
Checked on 27 October 2026. Prices and features change; tell us if one has.