A Beginner’s Guide to Arabic Hand Gestures

You don’t speak  Arabic until you speak it with your hands. In fact, you can figure out an entire conversation between two people via their hand gestures, without even hearing them. So if you’re new to Arabic and you think you can get away without learning a few native hand gestures, you are sorely mistaken!

Besides constantly flailing your hands around to over-emphasize your point, here’s your “Beginners’ Guide to Arabic Hand Gestures”:

 

1. Osbor Shwaya – This hand position when repeatedly moved up and down,  in a speedy but determined manner, means “be patient/hold on”.

 

2. Hawwareek/taaaaayeb – Stroking your chin in this part of the world does not imply deep thinking. Instead, it’s meant to say “I will show you”, or less literally, “I will make all your worst nightmares come true.”

 

3. 5amsa – The gesture that supposedly protects us from envy.

 

4. Yalahwy – Nope, can’t explain it in English…

 

5. Wallahy el 3azeem/oxem bellah – “I swear to God!” This one is used in a threatening manner most of the time.

 

6. Etnayyel/Roo7 – All of these words basically mean “go to hell” when paired with this gesture.

 

7. 2aaaaaad keda – Displays, for example, how big your affection is for someone/how big the rat was that you found in your apartment last night.

 

8. Malak/fee eh? – “What’s wrong with you?/What’s going on?”

 

9. Magnoon enta wala eh? – “Are you crazy?”

 

10. Men 3enaya – “My pleasure”, more or less.

 

WE SAID THIS: Inspired by Subhi Taha’s “Hand Gestures – How to be an Arab Lesson 2.4“!