Korean Finger Heart

If Japan has the famous "V" pose, often associated with the word "victory" or simply projecting cuteness in photos in general, Korea has also made history by popularizing a unique and trendy hand pose that is all the rage today in Asia and other countries like France. If you know K-pop or simply Korea itself, you may have encountered a hand gesture widely used by your favorite K-pop artists like BTS, Blackpink, and Red Velvet. But this trend is not only used by K-pop artists and celebrities; the rest of the world, even popular Hollywood celebrities like Tom Cruise, can be seen striking the pose. This hand gesture is what they call a finger heart, which suddenly became a huge trend in Korea and quickly spread as an expression worldwide. What exactly is this Finger Heart? Keep reading to find out.

When and where did this popular hand gesture come from?

We know it clearly appeared in Korea, but who actually started this big trend? It is thought to have been popularized by Kim Hye-soo, a South Korean actress, in 2010. But some say it was Nam Woo Hyun, a member of the KPop group INFINITE, who actually started the hand gesture around 2013. G-dragon from the group Big Bang also claimed credit for starting the pose by posting a photo of himself on Instagram making the gesture as a child.

Even South Korean comedian Yang Se Hyeong used social media to claim that the trend was started by him when he also posted a photo of himself even younger striking the pose. At this point, even though we keep going back and forth, it would be difficult to know who really started this trend due to multiple claims, but whoever it was, it is undeniable that it has taken the world by storm since then.

What does the "Korean finger heart" mean?

The Korean finger heart is formed by crossing the thumb over the index finger, thus creating a tiny heart. It is essentially a way to express love, friendship, peace, appreciation, and even a little teasing. K-pop artists have widely used it to show their love to their fans, and their fans do the same to love them back. You can also encounter the hand gesture in many Korean dramas and Korean films. Some Hollywood celebrities have also been photographed using this pose, especially when they are in Korea for projects or other ventures. One of them was Benedict Cumberbatch during his promotional tour for Doctor Strange in 2016, and Lupita Nyong'o and the rest of the cast at the Black Panther premiere in Seoul.

And who could forget when North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un, surprisingly made the hand gesture during the inter-Korean summit in September 2018. A photo of the very radiant North Korean leader was taken at the summit on Mount Paektu, accompanied by South Korean officials.

Similar hand gesture with a different meaning

Crossing the thumb and index finger has actually existed for ages in Western countries but the meaning is completely different; it is a gesture to ask for money instead of showing a bit of love (the fingers are actually quickly rubbed together to do it) and this can cause huge misunderstandings between them because of this.

The Korean finger heart may have appeared recently, with only a few years of history since its beginnings, but its popularity has skyrocketed and it has become a global trend. Who knows how long this famous hand gesture will last, but we know it will remain relevant for a long time to come.