Learn Italian Hand Gestures: 29 Flashcards from Ma Che Vuoi to the Chef's Kiss
Learn Italian hand gestures with 29 flashcards: ma che vuoi, non me ne frega, corna, piano piano, the chef's kiss, plus four labels to fix before you study.
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Half of an Italian conversation happens in the hands. Deck JD4893 – Italian Hand Gestures & Meanings (29 cards) pairs each gesture with what it says, from the pinched-fingers ma che vuoi? to the chin flick that means you couldn't care less. Here is how to learn them so you read them at speed, not just recognize the names.
Study this deck: Italian Hand Gestures & Meanings
1 / 10Ma che vuoi?
Tap the card for the answer · swipe right if you knew it, left if not
Eight cards from the deck
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Ma che vuoi? | Fingers together pointing up, hand moving up and down: "What do you want?" |
| Non me ne frega niente | Brushing fingers under the chin forward: "I couldn't care less" |
| Perfetto (chef's kiss) | Fingertips together, kiss them and open the hand: "perfect", "delicious" |
| Furbo | Index finger pulling down the lower eyelid: "watch out", or someone is sly |
| Denaro | Thumb rubbing against fingers: "money" / "expensive" |
| Piano piano | Flat hands moving slowly downward: "slowly", "calm down" |
| So-so (mah) | Hand flat, tilting side to side: "so-so", "maybe", doubt |
| Delicious (alternative gesture) | Finger in cheek, twisting: something tastes really good |
What the deck covers
Questions and disbelief (ma che vuoi?, ma sei matto?, tapping the head, palm slap on the forehead), indifference and annoyance (non me ne frega niente, che palle, smettila), commands (zitto, piano piano, come here, let's go), food and money (perfetto, buono cheek twist, fame, denaro), luck and superstition (corna, crossed fingers), insults and teasing (the forearm insult, the long nose), and everyday signals: thinking, so-so, theft, secrets, two people being alike.
Make every card point the same way
The fronts mix Italian phrases (Zitto, Denaro) with English descriptions (Stroking the chin, Crossing fingers), so half the deck quizzes you in the opposite direction. Rewrite the fronts as gesture descriptions and put the Italian phrase on the back: in Italy you see the hand first and have to supply the meaning. Then make a second, reversed pass where you say the phrase and perform the gesture out loud. Card 18 (all five fingertips pressed together) is the same mano a borsa as card 1: merge them, and card 10 (twisting a finger at the temple) with card 6 (tapping the head).
Fix four labels before you learn them
- Corna (card 16): the direction carries the meaning. Horns pointed down or at the ground ward off bad luck (fare le corna, often with tocca ferro); horns raised at someone call them cornuto. Split it into two cards.
- Stronzo (card 19): the gesture is the gesto dell'ombrello (one hand slaps the inside of the raised forearm). Learn the gesture's name, not just the insult.
- Venire via (card 7): that means "come away". Label the beckoning gesture vieni qua, and note that Italians usually scoop with the palm down.
- Long nose (card 28): its Italian name is marameo; add it to the back.
Then group the three cutting gestures, which are easy to confuse: zitto (hand slicing the air at mouth level), smettila (horizontal cut: "enough") and tagliare la corda (chopping: "let's get out of here"). A small contrast card on where the hand moves beats three isolated cards.
Keep going
Gestures travel with idioms: acqua in bocca and in bocca al lupo both come with a hand. Continue with Italian idioms from in bocca al lupo to fare alla romana.
Find JD4893 – Italian Hand Gestures & Meanings in the library on Flip It.
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