To the Japanese, the thumb represents men and the little finger represents women. If you give a thumbs up to a Japanese girl, she will think you are asking if she has a boyfriend; similarly, if you give a thumbs up to a Japanese boy, he will think you are asking if he has a girlfriend.

In China, thumbs up means praise and approval, while thumbs down and little thumbs mean denial and look down upon. This is because in Chinese Feng Shui, the thumb is the "eldest" of the five fingers, representing parents and elders; while the little finger is the youngest of the five fingers, representing the younger generation. For the elders, of course, one must be filial and respectful, which means full recognition and affirmation; but for the younger ones, there is no respect. Over time, thumbs up and little thumbs up have derived completely different and opposite meanings in China.

Some friends will ask, where did the common international etiquette of thumbs and little thumbs originate? It originated from the Roman Colosseum.

At that time, the Roman king used the up and down direction of his thumb to determine the life and death of the gladiator. If the thumb was up, it meant that the gladiator could receive a reward and continue to live; if the thumb was down, it meant that the gladiator would be rewarded and continue to live. It represents the end of the gladiator's life. This simple and convenient expression method quickly became popular in the international community and was recognized. However, in different countries, it has derived relatively different meanings. For example, in Japan, it is completely different.

In Japanese culture, giving thumbs up and little thumb up means asking about the other person’s mate selection situation. If you give a thumbs up or pinky thumbs up to a Japanese person on the street in Japan, it is very likely that the other person will chat with you about his or her relationship history. You may find it baffling, but in his opinion, this is what you are asking about. In addition, the Japanese consider it vulgar to raise your little finger in public places. As for the statement circulating on the Internet that in Japan a thumbs up means praise and a thumbs up means disparagement, it is wrong.

In addition to Japan, countries such as Australia, Nigeria, and Iran also have different interpretations of thumbs and little fingers. Therefore, you must fully understand local customs before traveling abroad to avoid embarrassing situations.