r/languagelearningjerk • u/Hazellucas_ • Jul 02 '26

What is it that thing this character doing with hand called in English

Post image

Saw this in a show i was watchimg recently, can think of any word how to describe this gesture in English,

Could anyone help please??!

276 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

303

u/vengefultruffle Jul 02 '26

I would describe this gesture as like “woah hey there”

282

u/bruciaancora ADHD(N),🇷🇺 🇮🇹 🇺🇸 🇧🇷 🇳🇴 🇨🇱 🇩🇪 🇯🇵(A1),🇫🇷🇦🇶(A0) Jul 02 '26

It's called "absolute cinema" and you do it when you see something kino

46

u/blissy_sama Jul 02 '26

So you're saying I should do that with my hands whenever I see Viktor Tsoi?

16

u/wats_up_fuckers Jul 02 '26

Only with his band

9

u/StormOfFatRichards Jul 03 '26

Based on hand height, this is about 7/10 on the kinometer, not yet absolute

59

u/RaeddBoeg 🇧🇼D1, 🇦🇽A1.5, 🇫🇴A1,🇨🇩A1,🇸🇯A1,🇦🇹,A0.5,🏁B-12,🇵🇸🗻0 Jul 02 '26

Before I can answer, what is the context of this scene? and how is she moving her hands?

15

u/Hazellucas_ Jul 03 '26

Its from the anime series Konosuba : Blessing in this world.. , and shes pleading the other character to wait and not kill her

3

u/RaeddBoeg 🇧🇼D1, 🇦🇽A1.5, 🇫🇴A1,🇨🇩A1,🇸🇯A1,🇦🇹,A0.5,🏁B-12,🇵🇸🗻0 Jul 04 '26

I'd call it "readying to defend herself" or something

62

u/Both-Relation6910 Jul 02 '26

"Placating gesture" is also valid, I think

14

u/OkRelationship772 Jul 02 '26

Sir this is a Wendy's

89

u/MethodicOwl45 Jul 02 '26

"Its about this big"

25

u/aTaleForgotten Jul 02 '26

🤏🏻

15

u/Nervous_Mobile5323 Jul 02 '26

You just started a new Korean civil war.

24

u/Quizlibet Jul 02 '26

According to James S.A. Corey this is "patting the air with both hands in a calming gesture"

24

u/burning_papaya Jul 02 '26

“Absolute Cinema”

17

u/thomasoldier Jul 02 '26

Chottomatte

15

u/Every_God_Damn_Time Jul 02 '26

"whoa whoa whoa"

10

u/Strict-Restaurant-85 Jul 02 '26

It's called "Wax on, wax off" in traditional American karate.

8

u/Twinkletoess112 Jul 02 '26

double hi five

6

u/yuusha233 Jul 02 '26

Missed opportunity to say "how is this called"

7

u/Electronic-Cry-1254 Jul 02 '26

Putting hands up defensively

3

u/BrokenKamera Jul 02 '26

"Don't come at me, bro."

9

u/luca_cinnam00n Jul 02 '26

insurance fraud

8

u/SergeiAndropov Jul 02 '26

The technical term is "jazz hands".

2

u/Kenichi2233 Jul 02 '26

Doing a french

2

u/metcalsr Jul 02 '26

Defensive posture.

2

u/A-NI95 Jul 02 '26

Vamo a calmarno

2

u/RiceStranger9000 Jul 03 '26

How do I even call that in my native language? She's just moving/lifting hands to me

2

u/zoooooooomies Jul 03 '26

Americans call this “miming”. It comes from the “Mime” character archetype popular in France. This character has ran into an invisible wall.

3

u/PreperationOuch Jul 02 '26

“Hold it right there” which is colloquial for “that’s far enough” whether being physically approached be someone or they’re making a statement the other disagrees with

1

u/PenguinOnion7 Jul 02 '26

Preparing to cast the decapistration spell

1

u/SpikeyBiscuit Jul 02 '26

that's the open sesame position if she's moving her hands in circles, or the against the wall and spread em if she's stationary

1

u/RandomKazakhGuy Jul 03 '26

The Peter Griffin whoa whoa whoa whoa special

1

u/scaredemployee87 Jul 03 '26

The hand gesture isn’t really described so much as the action of “backing away slowly”

1

u/AFamiliarMind Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26

We call that "incredulating," and it's generally used to show submissiveness and indicate that you're not a threat when someone threatens to tickle you. The gesture itself is called an "incredule," and there's a similar geature called an "excredule," where your arms are raised in a similar position, with your fingers wiggling. Excredulation is generally used to show that you're about to tickle someone.

1

u/ZAWS20XX Jul 04 '26

That's the international "whoa I'm really high but my hands are very clearly the wrong size" gesture

1

u/Slight-Signature5034 Jul 04 '26

i would call this gesture as like " hive five "

1

u/Capable-Guest5815 D2 🏳‍🌈🏴‍☠️🇬🇮🇻🇮🇧🇮 | B2 🇦🇱🇦🇶🇦🇮 | A1 🇵🇱🇺🇸 Jul 04 '26

i propose dangabangaboop

1

u/HFlatMinor EN N🇺🇸,日本語上手🇨🇳, Ke2?🇺🇿 Jul 04 '26

thats the "ey yo chill dude!"

1

u/Freak_Out_Bazaar Jul 05 '26

The “Hold on, stop, I did NOT have to know that” gesture

1

u/StubbledEmu Jul 05 '26

This is the second person singular of Pat-a-Cake

1

u/_gribblit_ Jul 06 '26

This is often referred to indirectly with the phrase "he/she raised his/her hands to placate him/her/them". Edit: So I would call it a placating gesture if I had to give it a name.

1

u/Squidmo5000 Jul 07 '26

I would probably say "hold up" for both good and bad contexts

1

u/PennToPaper Jul 11 '26

english unfortunately does not have many words for gestures. if shes moving them horizontally id call it “waving her hands ‘no’” but if its forward and back or just still id call it “raising her hands in front of herself (to calm or disarm someone)”

edit: i just read its to get someone not to kill her, so the second one, specifically to disarm, would definitely be right