OK (gesture)

The hand gesture performed by connecting the thumb and index finger into a circle (the O), and holding the other fingers straight or relaxed in the air, is a commonly used form of nonverbal communication. In many parts of the world, it is synonymous with the word OK, denoting approval, agreement, or that all is well. In other contexts or cultures, this same gesture may have different meanings or connotations, including negative or offensive ones.

Unicode symbol U+1F44C (????) represents this gesture.

The gesture is widely used to mean "all is well" or "good". Where the word "OK" may mean a thing is merely satisfactory or mediocre, as in "the food was OK", the gesture is commonly understood as a signal of approval, and is sometimes used synonymously with the Western "thumbs up" gesture.

A similar gesture, the Vitarka mudra ("mudra of discussion") is the gesture of discussion and communication (for the number 0) of Buddhist teaching.

In yoga the gesture is known as chin mudra ("the seal of consciousness") when the palm is face down, or jnana mudra ("the seal of wisdom"). In these mudras the middle, ring, and pinky fingers represent the three gunas of rajas, tamas, and sattva which, when in harmony, unite individual and universal consciousness. The pressing together of the thumb and forefinger represents that union—or "yoga"—of consciousness.

While the gesture is not positive in some countries, in certain parts of middle and southern Europe (although not in Spain or Portugal) the gesture is considered offensive. The connotation of zero or worthless is known in France and Belgium, while in some Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Greece, in the Middle East, as well as in parts of Brazil and Germany, and several South American countries, it may be interpreted as a vulgar expression: either an insult (you are an asshole), the slang for anus itself, or an offensive reference to homosexuality.

In the Arab world, this sign represents the evil eye, and is used as a curse, sometimes in conjunction with verbal cursing.

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Wikipedia