Explore everyday life in Japan

Counting to Ten in Japan

I find it interesting that people from different countries have different ways of using their fingers to count to ten. In Japan, there is a very smooth and efficient way of doing so that doesn't require any major changes of hand position.

Have a look for yourself and try counting to ten with your fingers as you go along.

1

Bend your thumb down over the palm of your hand.

2

Fold your index finger down over your thumb.

3

Lay your middle finger down and place it next to your index finger.

4

Fold your ring finger over so that it is lying against the palm of your hand, next to your middle finger.

5

Bend your pinkey finger and close your hand into a fist.

6

Now, raise your pinkey finger.

7

Then, return your ring finger to its standing position.

8

Extend your middle finger.

9

Raise your index finger until it is standing next to your middle finger.

10

Lastly, move your thumb away from your palm and open your hand wide.

There. You did it. What do you think?

If you come to Japan, you are sure to see people counting like this all over the place. So be on the look out.

Image Credits: All images in this post are original.

---

This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.

---

If you missed my last post, you can find it here Gas Stations