hand with fingers splayed
U+1F590 U+FE0F
β Avoid when: Greece and nearby (Armenia, Iraq, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf), where thrusting a splayed palm at someone reads as the moutza insult
Definitions (4)
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Stop / high five / "five" β a raised open palm to halt someone, offer a celebratory palm-slap, or signal the number five. Everyday and near-universal in Western and global digital use.
Avoid when
- βGreece and nearby (Armenia, Iraq, Pakistan, the Persian Gulf), where thrusting a splayed palm at someone reads as the moutza insult
The moutza (ΞΌΞΏΟΞ½ΟΞΆΞ±) β the most traditional Greek gesture of insult: all fingers extended and spread, palm pushed toward a person's face. Roughly "here, take these," paired with profanity; the closer to the face the more intense, and a two-handed version doubles it.
Avoid when
- βanywhere in Greece β even innocently signalling "five" with an over-splayed open palm risks being read as this
Hamsa / Hand of Fatima β an open right hand worn or displayed as a protective amulet against the evil eye, also carrying blessing, power and good fortune. Fingers spread wards off evil; fingers together brings luck.
Panja (Shia Panjtan) β the open five-fingered hand read as the five holy figures of the Prophet's family (Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn). Appears as a sacred standard (alam) in Muharram processions.