The Meaning of the OK Hand Gesture Around the World – Learn the Meaning of Hand Gestures

The OK hand gesture is one of the most common hand gestures. It is performed by connecting the thumb and forefinger in a circle and keeping the other fingers straight or relaxed in the air. The most common interpretation of this sign is OK, but there are some countries where it can be an insult or where it will not be understood.

Let’s take a look at different countries and what the OK sign means there:

Australia – Usually means ”zero” instead of OK, not common.

Canada – Okay, okay, fine. You can use it to signify approval.

Porcelain – The OK sign is not used.

France – Zero, nil.

Finland – Military recruits use the sign to indicate that they have zero days left in military service on their last day of national service.

Germany – Job well done or serious insult, depends on the region

Greece – OK (rarely used).

Ireland – OKAY.

Italy – OKAY.

Japan – The general meaning is money, for young people it means OK.

New Zealand – It’s considered a cheesy way of saying OK. Not very used.

Russia – Many people would understand that this is okay, but they don’t use this sign.

Spain – OKAY.

Sweden – OKAY.

Turkey – Gay.

United Kingdom – OKAY.

Venezuela – Gay.

USA – Okay, okay, fine. You can use it to signify approval.

Keep in mind that the meaning of gestures varies between different parts of countries and also between cultural groups and between generations.