Japanese V Sign
(
174)
Sun 2007/09/16 14:28
I see many poking fun at the Japanese who find it uncool or strange that the they should do such a gesture. So why do they do it?
So where does the V-sign come from? According to Wikipedia, the earliest confirmed usage of the V-sign was by Winston Churchil during World War II - the V-sign meaning "Victory." The Japanese Wikipedia for the entry Peace Sign [ピースサイン] however says that there is a theory that the two fingers mean that two nuclear bombs where dropped on Japan meaning that peace is near...
The V-sign was used by president Nixon to express victory and the sign was also used by protesters against the Vietnam War.
During the 1972 Winter Olympics in Japan, skater Janet Lynn (who was also a peace activist) was photographed by the Japanese media doing the V-sign. Although the V-sign was already recognized in Japan, it was apparently these photos of Lynn that popularized the use of the V-sign.
The Japanese entry in Wikipedia does not mention Lynn at all and instead says that the V-sign took off in the 80's when usage of the V-sign was used when kids were having their photos taken.
Whatever the origin, folks in Japan like to do the peace sign - I especially like it when the cute girls do a horizontal version of the V-sign next to their eye - kawaii!
The photos below were taken from Flickr by doing a search for "ピース" ("Peace" in Japanese), "Japan Peace Sign" and "Japan V Sign" using a Creative Commons filter - look for more photos from these photographers using those queries.
Kirainet just happens to have a post up on the V-sign too - check it out.
If you are new here, you may want to keep up with more of the same via RSS or Danny's other networks. (dont show again)
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Wed 09/12 01:57 comments (55)
im ganna start doin it now...seen it done for a long time but never did it.....from now on V-sign all the way...lol
(ID #56999) Posted on 2007/09/16 14:35
I do it sometimes..but there are rarely photos taken of me :)
(ID #57001) Posted on 2007/09/16 14:49
oops, sorry for double-post, but I forgot to ask if there are stormtrooper -danny peace-sign pictures!
(ID #57002) Posted on 2007/09/16 14:50
Messaging specialist
I did it last night in Amsterdam . I`m born and raised in Holland so i`m part of the indiginous species but we get alot of Japanese tourists who take pictures left and right and whenever i see one around and i`m not in a rush i always just do a RANDOM pose usually involving "V" ! or the disco fever pointing your finger to the sky pose They get a REAL kick out of that . Its just funny to randomly do the pose :)
(ID #57003) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:07
Student
Its not something we do here, its very rare to see someone do the V-sign while taking a picture here. Personally I think its normally done when your happy while taking pictures and I don't do it
(ID #57004) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:21
filmaker
seems like the v-sign is very common and overused. i find it really unfortunate that so many people are so insecure having their picture taken that they have to do something with their hands...such as the v-sign....most dont even know what it means...they just do it cos everyone else does it...how sad and unfortunate.
(ID #57005) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:25
filmaker
little does everyone know that the v-sign is actually to denote the act of..."i give cunnilingus" or " i want cunnilingus"...haha
(ID #57006) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:28
That doesn't apply to everyone, each country has their own customs. Just because it means that to you doesn't mean everyone is ignorant about it. In the UK I remember that doing the V-sign behind and above someone's head meant "kiss me now or shag me later" XD
(ID #307970) Posted on 2008/09/20 20:33
Wow? Really? In the US, as far as I know anyways, it has the meaning of "rabbit ears" when you put a V-sign behind and above someone's head. It's just a way to be silly and "ruin" the photo for one person.
(ID #617946) Posted on 2009/05/23 15:23
one of the girls in the yukata just happens to be doing the sign just right too. I laughed when I saw that.
(ID #308150) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:50
A professor of mine gave a similar explanation actually. Apparently a pagan god of fertility had a horns and the V sign was supposedly symbolic of him. So when you do the V-sign over someone's head, your basically saying they're gonna have plenty of kids.
(ID #308359) Posted on 2008/09/21 07:40
maintenence
Only when you place the fingers below your lips. First time I saw it used THAT way, I was 16 years old, and panting after this really cute girl at my very first job. My boss, who is of Chinese decent, BTW, flashed that version at me. I was too stupid to get a clue. I didn't see it again that way until my 30s. I had it all put together by then. Too late for me to use on that girl. LOL!
(ID #621103) Posted on 2009/05/26 05:34
Rocketboy (Registered on 2007/09/01 15:59)
I usually do it, but more or less just to give me something to do as opposed to just standing there like a dolt.
(ID #57007) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:43
Rocketboy (Registered on 2007/09/01 15:59)
John..O'rly? The only meaning?
(ID #57008) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:45
Dog of the Country
loved the picture with the boy on the bike...nice!
(ID #57010) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:53
same here. he's acting cool. lol!
(ID #308141) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:40
I've always wondered why they did it, but I sometimes do it too, which I didnt know why.
(ID #57011) Posted on 2007/09/16 15:58
Anime Store Owner, artist, Web master
Who ever calls themselves real anime and japan fans should at least have accidentally done it at least once. Originally, dull American hippies did it as a sign of how stoned and clueless they were. When the Japanese do it, its a sign of coolness in my book. Its far better than the mentally challenged "East-side", "west-side" symbol, still done in New York. People who still do that will fall over their pants that are mostly fallen off anyways which will always look far more awkward than the "V" might appear to some.
(ID #57012) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:00
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7013/4pts7s8le8.jpg the real reason why V sign is used~
(ID #57013) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:08
Nice find! I needed to LOL this morning!
(ID #308014) Posted on 2008/09/20 22:07
I really like the peace sign. Its more laid back than waving, and looks cute when girlies do it n__n. I very rarely do it in this country, as its not common practice, and im a pretty self-consious person, but whenever im in Japan, i do it as often as i can :-D I dont quite understand the variations on it though, like some schoolgirl-age girls do the V sign kinda like a lobster's claw - looks strange...!
(ID #57014) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:18
That lil' kid on the bike is like.. talk to the hand (ah well fingers) :3
(ID #57015) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:21
Wow, that could be called a Japapnese tradition now. *laughs* Even the small kid does it... He must have learned that early. ^^; I did use to do that sometimes, when I was younger in my crazy moments (no intoxication, no hanging out with friends though *insert sadness here*); however, you would never see that in any of my pictures (I don't like being on photographs or camera and I can't explain why). I already don't smile usually (maybe it is changing now), so asking me to go for a V-sign when I don't feel like to is too much to ask. Not only I don't express my feelings too much but I also feel that going for a Peace sign would turn me into a temporary poser (no offense to people who do it on a regular basis). XD
(ID #57016) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:39
*Japanese And what with those variations? Do they have any meaning or have they been transmitted incorrectly?
(ID #57017) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:41
I do the V-sign sometimes, I think its cool to do lol. The kid on the bike was funny, he's like "I'm so cool that I don't even have to look up, instead take this V sign"
(ID #57018) Posted on 2007/09/16 16:51
i dunno why ppl do the v-sign here, but i think its the same in japan. girls here usually do that when taking photo though also, in picture 23 "ppl from kirainet" where is he in that photo?
(ID #57019) Posted on 2007/09/16 17:05
Troubleshooter, Universal Exports
Peace or V sign aside, I always find the Japanese fun to photograph. Unlike westerner they don't stand around like a bunch of stiffs when you point a camera in their direction. Although this is not a hard fast rule. Japanese just appear more relaxed when photographed, even when they are nervous about it. When I look at photos with my fiancee, our friends and family, I always find the Japanese will to have a little fun at their own expense. It's nice to find people who don't always take themselves so serious. Yes, I have flashed the V-sign often. It has become habit now and I do it without thinking.
(ID #57020) Posted on 2007/09/16 17:05
mereoner in phoenix, arizona
i usually opt for the middle finger. i usually say peace instead of bye. so ill leave the peace sign making to the cute japanese girls. it not something hard to figure out. its a peace sign
(ID #57021) Posted on 2007/09/16 17:12
*Flashes the British "V" sign*
(ID #57023) Posted on 2007/09/16 17:50
Animation
i do the V sometimes to goof off. but i like throwing the shocker! hahaha
(ID #57024) Posted on 2007/09/16 18:10
*Cheers for V sign* /
(ID #57025) Posted on 2007/09/16 18:33
kagami akira of lucky channel introduces a new "bye-bee" symbol..lol speaking of lucky star.. one of the show(cudnt remember -_-;) shows a lot of places that features otaku stuff..shud have watch it before i went to jpn last time.. :(
(ID #57027) Posted on 2007/09/16 18:37
DANNY! Thank you for posting this, it explains a lot more about the background, which is what I wanted to know. Its interesting how much of modern culture is steeped in tradition. I laughed out loud when I saw this post because I was so curious the other day when you left me with that enigmatic answer! Thanks Danny! "^^>"
(ID #57029) Posted on 2007/09/16 19:26
"The Japanese Wikipedia for the entry Peace Sign, however, says that there is a theory that the two fingers mean that two nuclear bombs where dropped on Japan meaning that peace is near" The fingers represent bombs? And the bombs represent that peace is near? What kind of twisted symbolism is that?
(ID #57030) Posted on 2007/09/16 19:33
Well yeah I kinda get it. I mean if you use nuclear bombs. I guess that it means that the war will be over because well who wants to fight against a country who can and will use nuclear bombs? :D
(ID #308067) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:59
That's complete nonsense. My wife is Japanese. She never said anything about this meaning of the peace sign. We have been together over 15 years and gone through 50th and 60th anniversaries of Hiroshima, which were very well covered on UK television. I sometimes make the sign to annoy her, because she thinks it's stupid that Japanese people do it all the time. It's only connection with war is the Churchill V for Victory sign from WW2. I have no idea how it could have got from Britain to Japan as it was US troops who occupied Japan after the war.
(ID #308321) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:38
She actually thinks it's stupid that Japanese people do it all the time? That's odd..
(ID #308630) Posted on 2008/09/21 15:10
It's just her opinion. When you live in a foreign country you get sensitive about what your fellow countrymen do and the image it presents to the people of the country you live in. So her view of the V sign is that British people think it's that stupid sign all the silly Japanese tourists do all the time, so as she's Japanese she must fight against the stereotype.
(ID #308820) Posted on 2008/09/21 19:17
Well....I use it
(ID #57031) Posted on 2007/09/16 19:39
I don't use V-sign on just any picture Since it means victory I find it more appropriate to use it when I win at something or obtain something and point my V-sign straight to the air the highest I can
(ID #57032) Posted on 2007/09/16 19:54
What's wrong with posting with the V-sign? I do it time to time, not always. I don't know how "un-cool" it is?!?!
(ID #57033) Posted on 2007/09/16 20:34
Lowlife
http://www.dannychoo.com/blogimg/peace_sign05.jpg
(ID #57034) Posted on 2007/09/16 21:41
Lowlife
arg, it cut off my message. Anyway, I as calling one of those kids a cheeky bugger.
(ID #57035) Posted on 2007/09/16 21:42
I like the little kid throwing up the V. It's like he's posing for the picture, yet looking away like he doesn't want it taken... kawaii!
(ID #57036) Posted on 2007/09/16 21:44
I always wondered about that v finger thing. Nice!
(ID #57037) Posted on 2007/09/16 21:47
It's an epidemic originated from Japan and now spread through the entire eastern Asia. And someone should tell the ladies in the pictures to not hold the two fingers right in front of their mouth, that sign holds an entirely different connotation around here (^_^)
(ID #57039) Posted on 2007/09/16 22:11
Custom Pc Builder, Muppet, Pyromaniac, Demolitions Expert, Guitar Slinger,
awww the little kid on the bicycle looks so cute lol he reminds me of my little cousin :) when he was that age anyway
(ID #57042) Posted on 2007/09/16 23:43
Visual Communications and Web 2.0
I do sometimes, its fun and shows LOVE FOR PEACE, well back in europe it was always used for peace and victory sometimes, but usually it is peace sign. In USA I rarely see anyone do it, but I like doing it. V for V Japanese people tend to do it more then everyone else, but I think its good. Everyone should use it, maybe we will have more peace this way.
(ID #57044) Posted on 2007/09/17 00:41
Mind Navigator
I rarely use the V sign if at all. Course, I rarely am photographed. Not to say I never used it. I've used it in the past behind someone's head so that the fingers acted like ears. Doubtful that qualifies, though.
(ID #57047) Posted on 2007/09/17 01:05
Photography Hobbyist
i wonder why it's V. my friend told me since he's been teaching swimming lessons on japanese and korean students here in our region, the V sign is a pose so that the picture will not be boring at all. ^^;
(ID #57048) Posted on 2007/09/17 01:14
I think the peace sign is really overused. Especially us, Chinese. In all sticky pics i have seen, girls will always be doing the sign.
(ID #57049) Posted on 2007/09/17 02:01
don777
I think V sign is only used in Japan till some years ago. But V sign is used in some Eastern Asian countries. Taiconaut:Yang Liwei(not Yang Wenli(^^;) shows V sign in this article. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2003/10/16/china_space031016.html
(ID #57050) Posted on 2007/09/17 02:05
So nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who has taken these photo? W0W
(ID #57051) Posted on 2007/09/17 02:32
mahou kishi
This is not a lie or a joke, but I heard that the "finger" sign used in America(all continent not the country) uses as a swear, in Japan is used as I am the number one or I am the best, hope someone can tell me
(ID #57053) Posted on 2007/09/17 03:31
I've been doing the V sign since I was a kid. I always do mine different though. I never hold it straight up. I do mine, back of hand face away and sideways.
(ID #57055) Posted on 2007/09/17 04:00
Mandalorian in training + Otaku...
Seen it everywhere and anywhere. Still popular here as well. I wonder why?
(ID #57056) Posted on 2007/09/17 04:02
soon-to-be 2nd year Civil Engineering student
not only the peace sign, there are variations coming out as well. mikuru beam, anyone? ^^|||
(ID #57057) Posted on 2007/09/17 04:18
mi mi miracle mikuru run run ^^
(ID #57058) Posted on 2007/09/17 04:23
Overpaid Computer Nerd
Actually its the official Japanese Gang sign. ;) It took 12 years of marriage but I broke my wife of this particular habit. However, during my last trip to Japan my 11 year old nephew and his mom kept doing it. I can forgive an 11 year old but come one people, learn to pose (^_^)
(ID #57059) Posted on 2007/09/17 04:48
五〇一軍团 TK8316 Singapore Garrison Public Relations Officer
i will never do a v-sign.
(ID #57060) Posted on 2007/09/17 05:24
You're too embarrassed to do it?
(ID #308636) Posted on 2008/09/21 15:18
Policy & Research Officer
So will we ever see stormtropper Danny with a V sign? =P
(ID #57061) Posted on 2007/09/17 05:24
High School Student, College student, Part-time Ninja
It not just a Japanese thing any more. "V Sign" had spread to other parts of Asia. You can't get a nice non-v-sign photo any more. I my self prefer the Vulcan sign. (Star Trek) "live long and prosper"
(ID #57063) Posted on 2007/09/17 05:47
.NET/Web Developer
It's popular here as well. I asked some of my friends who do that and all they say is that it looks cute. Can't really understand that. heheh.
(ID #57064) Posted on 2007/09/17 06:07
K in Inside
I was born in 1971 in Japan. I used to do the peace sign when I was a kid in the early 70's in Japan. Photos of me from that era pretty much show me doing the V-sign in every photo!
(ID #57066) Posted on 2007/09/17 07:19
I have a picture of me doing the V-sign in a a sticker photo booth. That's pretty much the best place to do it.
(ID #57067) Posted on 2007/09/17 08:55
Aspiring Photographer
I remember as a kid living on Guam, coming home from school, these 3 Japanese tourists pulled me and wanted to have a picture with me. I noticed they were doing the "V-sign" so I decided to do that too.
(ID #57069) Posted on 2007/09/17 09:35
Student
Not sure about the rest of you, but in my hometown, we like to put up the V sign behind others' head when taking photos, making the people in front of us look as if they have little horns behind their head XD Plain fun and mischievous ^_^
(ID #57071) Posted on 2007/09/17 10:31
Ngee_Khiong, I also did that as a kid, but I wasn't that mean to do it on pictures. We had another meaning though... it was about giving bunny ears to the unsuspecting target and faking innocence when he/she was suspecting something. XD I feel it is much more spread out for a practice than you think. :)
(ID #57072) Posted on 2007/09/17 13:14
Sometimes I dun get why ppl keep showing the V sign when they take picture? But V-sign is always better than the other middle finger Universal sign!
(ID #57073) Posted on 2007/09/17 13:45
anime/cosplay events organizer
i do the V-sign when having my picture taken especially in a group shot ^^ i really like to see japanese high school girls do the vertical V-sign near their eyes too...so kawaii~ ^^
(ID #57075) Posted on 2007/09/17 15:37
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:54)
my wife always does that too. http://www.marvinryan.com/marvinryan/IMG_0037.JPG I've always wondered what it meant. lol thanks for the enlightening post Danny. Ngee Khiong, I do that as well. lol
(ID #57077) Posted on 2007/09/17 15:44
仁葉工芸
日本の歴史の中で 写真機の導入時期や普及時期を考察すると 海外の方にも、この不思議な風習を理解することが できるかもしれません。
(ID #57086) Posted on 2007/09/17 17:56
4th Year Business Economics Student
I never make and as far as I know never made a V-sign on any picture. I don't see many people (apart from tourists) making the V-sign here in Holland, even the middle finger is more popular here. ^^"
(ID #57099) Posted on 2007/09/18 00:22
I never even tried doing that in my life. I'm not much of a photo person, but I see all my friends doing it.
(ID #57102) Posted on 2007/09/18 00:36
Student Engineer
I've done it before but not in every single mug shot. I guess since the true origins are disputed, people do it because there is SOME reason that it is cool, and it is! V!
(ID #57103) Posted on 2007/09/18 00:42
i think it's the natural pose when you dont know how to pose for a shot XD
(ID #57107) Posted on 2007/09/18 01:38
milkham (Registered on 2007/03/06 17:08)
I asked a couple of Japanese people about this while I was in Japan a couple of years ago and they had no idea why they do it. People do this in China as well.
(ID #57111) Posted on 2007/09/18 02:10
Animator/ graphic designer
i guess its an incredibly popular sign... all my friends from taiwan do that in every photo they take! peace-the universal symbol?
(ID #57113) Posted on 2007/09/18 02:18
It's probably just a habit they've picked up when they're still kids. Kinda goes with the "Yatta!" or "Weeeee~" expressions.
(ID #57116) Posted on 2007/09/18 02:39
College student and soldier
As of late, I tend to throw up the horns instead of a peace sign. And, again, lately I've been giving two fingers rather than the finger. I blame Hot Fuzz. "So jog on. Pttthhhbbbttt."
(ID #57117) Posted on 2007/09/18 03:01
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:54)
McNally, do you mean the bowfinger? I always thought the derogative two fingered salute was only used in England.
(ID #57124) Posted on 2007/09/18 06:42
LoL i don like taking pictures but jap girls are sure cute :D anyway hey danny ... are there any festivals on the last 2 weeks of Nov? i will be heading to japan on the last 2 weeks . :D!!!!
(ID #57125) Posted on 2007/09/18 08:47
Lux in Arg
In my country, the "V" sign was used by the ruling political party (Perón, Evita, etc) and it's still used by politicians. Since the "V" was so attached to the Peronista-movement, people would actually get killed during the 70s if they were seen by death squads or other military groups during the last dictatorship period. Anyways, I've always loved cute japanese girls doing the V :P
(ID #57140) Posted on 2007/09/18 12:29
College student and soldier
Yeah, more or less. Again, I place the blame squarely on the English people who make the movies I watch.
(ID #57147) Posted on 2007/09/18 15:28
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
Whatever started this, it's probably long forgotten... one of those things people do as a standard. Reflex. And yes, I love kawaii girls taking pics with the V sign. :P Interesting though, on animes, I don't see many characters posing with the V sign.
(ID #57171) Posted on 2007/09/18 23:37
I use the V-sign now, because i love everything everyone does in Japan because it is so cool!
(ID #57186) Posted on 2007/09/19 02:19
A common sight among Singaporean youths too. But my V signs stand for 'vendetta', not 'victory'.
(ID #57199) Posted on 2007/09/19 06:12
My girlfriend from Hong Kong says they (in HK, that is) do it because it means "win", which I suppose is the same as victory. You may already know this, but in the USA, we consider it to mean "peace."
(ID #57210) Posted on 2007/09/19 11:54
College student and soldier
That eleventh pic... Is that a bunch of JMSDF sailors?
(ID #57306) Posted on 2007/09/20 21:50
Steve Sparkes
The reverse, with the back of the hand facing forward, does not mean "Peace" it has it's origins at Agincourt when the English bowmen raise two fingers to the defeated French who had promised to amputate them. It has the same meaning as the American "finger"
(ID #57368) Posted on 2007/09/21 19:11
Actually, I read somewhere that that myth is false but I like to think it's true and spread it anyway XD
(ID #307974) Posted on 2008/09/20 20:39
hehe i just do the V sign when i'm really happy (that means not all the times!)
(ID #57564) Posted on 2007/09/23 19:45
late post and all and most prob dont care but in regards to what Steve Sparkes said about the english french bowmen comment my understanding is that, at the time, it was impossible for an archer to draw a long bow w/o their middle finger hence the apposing side would simply remove it if they caught them. as far as the story i heard goes english archers would often flip the french off trying to be cocky and all. this is the only reasonable story ive heard as to where the whole middle finger thing came from.
(ID #67823) Posted on 2007/12/25 13:20
McMaster Engineering Level I
I do that, but to the EXTREME. That's right, my multi-jointed fingers are capable of doing the Vash "Love and Peace" sign... ok not really, but I can dream :D!
(ID #67848) Posted on 2007/12/26 01:28
I just do it naturally? o.O
(ID #67850) Posted on 2007/12/26 02:41
Part trooper, part -timer, 100% loser...
Oh so it means "V"ictory and peace huh? I thought it was for poking people in the eyes... The ones in your head not the other one...
(ID #69477) Posted on 2008/01/13 03:26
Part trooper, part -timer, 100% loser...
LOL, just noticed, the boy in the second last pic... I guess he has an itch down there... OR Is trying to maintain his manly desires...
(ID #70805) Posted on 2008/01/27 15:34
In France it means "victory", but it is considered a stupid thing to do, most people use the "big thumb up"... I really hate to see this V-sign on Japanese photos, they seem stupid, maybe a cultural difference... :/
(ID #158695) Posted on 2008/03/20 01:30
I always thought it meant Peace. Now it also means Victory? >=) , v(^_^)v .
(ID #176576) Posted on 2008/04/28 16:25
Maybe I should start do the v-sign.
(ID #176910) Posted on 2008/04/29 03:07
Wow im incredibly late to this post lol Im a 20 Year old White British guy and i've noticed i've started to use it ALOT over the past month or so, even for Myspace photos and all that, does that make me kind of weird for using it?
(ID #306417) Posted on 2008/09/19 09:56
i think most asians uses the V sign when we take photos. I know i do.
(ID #307973) Posted on 2008/09/20 20:38
I agree thats its generally an asian thing more than just a japanese thing. I did that in quite alot of photos yesterday too >_>
(ID #307983) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:01
suneo (Registered on 2007/12/17 20:54)
haha i like the little kid on the bike looking away while throwin up the V. I don't do the V-sign for any photos, but I used it once while I was in Japan. I guess it was more for V for victory, since I'd just gotten to the top of Mt. Fuji. When in Rome...or Japan lol. I call it the universal fob symbol...
(ID #308000) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:33
IT TechGuy
i dont feel like doing any v sign now. feel like its an outdated moved. haha but it does make some remembering how everyone posed in the photo.
(ID #308008) Posted on 2008/09/20 21:50
I used to not do it but all my Japanese friends kept telling me to do so. It's kind of a automatic reaction now.
(ID #308029) Posted on 2008/09/20 22:45
peace. V(-_-)V
(ID #308036) Posted on 2008/09/20 22:54
mymiles (Registered on 2008/06/23 09:15)
@the photo of the boy on the bike(tricycle?) True gangster.
(ID #308040) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:08
Student, Otaku, She-Geek(Sheek lol)
Not very much. I'd like to, but it just seems weird when I do...
(ID #308043) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:14
NEET (Desktop Support / Admin)
I'm always on the other side of the camera. Theses days it's a Canon EOS 5D. Anyone thinking about getting the EOS 5D Mark II?
(ID #308046) Posted on 2008/09/20 23:15
doing anything nice
the 5D MII is way expensive for amateurs like me (;___;)
(ID #308133) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:24
IT Developer / Technology Evangelist
V(^-^)m FOR ALL i like me gusta
(ID #308110) Posted on 2008/09/21 00:56
i use two hand peace sign and make W instead of V form, just make art using your fingers both feet and hands
(ID #308112) Posted on 2008/09/21 00:57
US Navy Sailor
I made the V sign only once but it was kind of embarrassing. Usually, in the south, we stand and maybe smile. I did it cause it felt even more ackward to take my picture in front of Kyoto Animation standing all serious.
(ID #308131) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:23
intresting!
(ID #308139) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:38
Ronin - Looking for #1
if im in a photo i'll do it "chuck the duece"
(ID #308159) Posted on 2008/09/21 01:59
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
Sometimes yeah, but mostly no. To tell the truth, I don't think there are many recent pics of me anyways... XD But no, it's not very usual here in Brazil. :P
(ID #308165) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:03
Koharu is so cute!!!! I never do the V sign in photos, I don't like them. I use it when I say friends good bye or see you later, always.
(ID #308167) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:04
lolinapper
3rd pic has 3 of my favorite Morning Musume girls! x3
(ID #308174) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:11
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
Double-post I find it funny when girls do the V sign like the girl in kimono with a red flower on her hair just before the pic with kid in a bike. You know, the V sign with one finger in each cheek. It's cute, but in some countries it can be a very very dirty gesture. XD
(ID #308176) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:13
Heh. I tend to use it more often now. I like the 'salute' post some kawaii girls do too ^^
(ID #308188) Posted on 2008/09/21 02:25
I use middle finger more!!...== joking.. I always use ....Victory sign
(ID #308239) Posted on 2008/09/21 03:42
Full-time College Student and Mikuist
I love 1, 2 (V Sign), 3 finger gestures next to the pouting lips so cute~~~
(ID #308285) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:39
I do it all the time! haha My friend says it's a fobby Asian thing but so many nonAsians do it too.
(ID #308286) Posted on 2008/09/21 04:39
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
I don't do the V sign thing except for when I am making fun of my friend who does it. I mean I have nothing against it, I just like teasing him about it.
(ID #308313) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:21
I love doing the peace sign in pics, or just doing it in everyday life
(ID #308319) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:31
BTW if you do that sign to an British person you have to be careful to face the palm toward them because otherwise it is very rude. Sometimes foreigners use the two fingers to mean 2.
(ID #308322) Posted on 2008/09/21 05:41
docdre (Registered on 2008/08/07 14:43)
I thought Mario popularized it. =P
(ID #308329) Posted on 2008/09/21 06:06
college student
wtf was the girl in the last photo doing? i mean...can that even count as a V-sigh? its like a weir looking W-sign to me.
(ID #308345) Posted on 2008/09/21 06:56
In the UK, the British find people posing with a V sign in front of a camera really weird as they find it quite cheesy. And usually the girls do it more than the guys do.
(ID #308365) Posted on 2008/09/21 07:50
10% Student, 10% Salesman, 80% Gaming/Otaku
well in the UK they find it cheesy because its sooo close to 1 of our swearing gestures (like the middle finger) before i lived in Hong Kong V sign is on every picture...now i don't even think of doing it
(ID #308452) Posted on 2008/09/21 11:35
Yea I know about the bowfinger (or two-fingered salute), but I see most British friends of mine are simply taking the fun out of the Hongkongers who are posing the V-sign in front of the camera. Racism was kinda common in different levels back in my old secondary school.
(ID #308975) Posted on 2008/09/21 23:36
___________?_________
Damnnn, The girl in the last pic is throwing up 4GM XD (Chicago Gang)
(ID #308394) Posted on 2008/09/21 09:38
afatcow (Registered on 2008/08/28 17:59)
Where I live it's sorta like a stereotypical thing for an Asian girl to do when taking pictures (I guess they weren't wrong =/) I just do it when I'm having fun with friends or something.
(ID #308396) Posted on 2008/09/21 09:49
anime/cosplay events organizer
(^___^)v
(ID #308453) Posted on 2008/09/21 11:37
v^__^v
(ID #308481) Posted on 2008/09/21 12:09
Although I don't think it's uncool to do the V-sign, I do feel it's way overdone, so throw the horns instead of the V-sign; nobody I know (besides two relatives) throw the horns when having pictures taking.
(ID #308738) Posted on 2008/09/21 17:37
Dude when i lived in Japan, we made a huge V-sign pic with all my classmates! Haha it's sort of a natural instinct to do that now. Recently though i've tried that Ranka-chan sign. ^^
(ID #308747) Posted on 2008/09/21 17:46
Polytechnic Senior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer, Pokemon Indexer.
I don't do the sign, but I don't see why people can find it uncool. Nothing better than a simple hand gesture to express happiness.
(ID #308886) Posted on 2008/09/21 20:25
i do it most and i didn't know that it means peace >_< well i know w/o taking a pic, it means peace but in taking picture i think it is like saying hello you know :P
(ID #308900) Posted on 2008/09/21 20:44
cscentrl (Registered on 2008/06/26 15:42)
Interesting.
(ID #308979) Posted on 2008/09/21 23:41
I started doing it with my asian friends while in Grad School. They got me into doing it.
(ID #309037) Posted on 2008/09/22 00:47
I have a feeling that I have seen somebody making the V sign when photographed, but I don't remember where I sow that. It's on common here.
(ID #309213) Posted on 2008/09/22 04:31
Medical Research and Design
That last one isn't a peace sign, it's "The Shocker" XD A common university college sign, with a VERY different context. :o
(ID #309314) Posted on 2008/09/22 06:38
I do the peace sign . . . but it looks cuter when Japanese girls do it. Is there a difference is you do it with the palm facing the camera or the back of your hand facing the camera?
(ID #309327) Posted on 2008/09/22 07:03
Wow it's 50/50 now.. Yeah I usually do the V too nowadays too, not really sure why but I just do.
(ID #309382) Posted on 2008/09/22 08:54
Future Idol
I always do the V sign when taking photo
(ID #309421) Posted on 2008/09/22 10:20
Technical Writer/Editor, Designer, Collector, Artist, Nice Guy
Ah, I *knew* I saw this article last year, lol. Am I the only one?... I get it now. Since the "Same Day, Last Year" section was removed from this new portal design, the post is simply re-dated to the current year. Which explains why this post appeared in my Google Reader as a new post, and why new comments are replying to comments made 12 months ago, lol. Very sneaky, hehe. ^_~
(ID #310290) Posted on 2008/09/23 03:54
Err, ya. That's kinda sneaky. Imagine now that I noticed the date, and I'm replying to your comment, but you made your comment 3 years ago.
(ID #617953) Posted on 2009/05/23 15:29
Although its a real old post I thought i was a good read and fun looking through the pictures. Here in the States its called the peace sign so everyone knows it means peace. I always thought it was because the fingers and hand make the three lines in the circle of a peace sign. Anyways I used to do it a lot when I was a kid and then stopped for a while but then I've started doing it again for no particular reason. All my prom pictures have me giving the peace sign.
(ID #310358) Posted on 2008/09/23 05:18
Full-time College Student and Mikuist
I heard that Taiwanese Pop stars have their own versions. Rainie Yang for example.
(ID #315557) Posted on 2008/09/28 03:26
lckymnzn (Registered on 2008/06/27 13:02)
peace everybody!
(ID #342552) Posted on 2008/10/22 16:28
the V-sign of japanese people make me sick so difficult to take an ordinary photo without it
(ID #603198) Posted on 2009/05/13 08:42
ok! awesome
(ID #617652) Posted on 2009/05/23 11:07
2nd last pic was just wrong
(ID #617665) Posted on 2009/05/23 11:21
I didn't even notice it until I read your comment. Ya, that's... not right. Danny! You posted a photo of a minor holding his junk!
(ID #617949) Posted on 2009/05/23 15:26
Peace for all!
(ID #617747) Posted on 2009/05/23 12:26
I WORK IN THE INTARNETS
^^V love and peace!
(ID #617853) Posted on 2009/05/23 13:51
Sometimes it helps you see whether the person was aware they were being photographed. (Although it's usually fairly obvious) I don't do it, but don't mind seeing others do it. Most japanese photos seem odd without it.
(ID #618080) Posted on 2009/05/23 18:28
SOS Brigade Leader
Seriously , The Japanese people has gotta stop doing the v sign , its just too predictable . Everytime , I see a chinese do a v-sign then I know for instant its a Japanese.
(ID #618494) Posted on 2009/05/24 02:29
Programmer Trainee
Haha it's sorta popular here but I hardly see that now When I think of the horizontal V by the eyes I remember Sailor V!
(ID #619118) Posted on 2009/05/24 16:27
Ai-ya. *Slaps forehead*
(ID #619184) Posted on 2009/05/24 18:15
I do it rarely when someone take picture of me maybe that I'm a male? or photo shy?
(ID #619212) Posted on 2009/05/24 18:58
Nice to get an explanation at least! The article on Kirainet is quite right too, the V-sign is really popular in China also, almost everybody uses it when their photo is taken, and very often on other occasions too. Nice read as always! ^^
(ID #619541) Posted on 2009/05/25 01:33
hahaha! I like the little kid on the bike. He's prolly like, "check it yo!" (^_^)
(ID #621033) Posted on 2009/05/26 03:45
maintenence
The "V" sign has been around for as long as I can remember. The cool way the Japanese use it sideways by the eyes is just kawaii as far as I'm concerned! In the "Dennou Coil" anime, the kids use the sideways "V" to shoot AR beams from their foreheads. And of course this Vocaloid video in YouTube shows the eye "V": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syh4NTOIvfc
(ID #621113) Posted on 2009/05/26 05:48
Music Producer/Delivery Driver
digging up an OLD post but I work dominos as well! check the girl in the last photo :D
(ID #622262) Posted on 2009/05/27 03:49
Daigakusei [Consular and Diplomatic Affairs]
PEACE! v(^_^)v
(ID #623136) Posted on 2009/05/27 22:33
m/ for me. lol
(ID #625625) Posted on 2009/05/29 18:06
I don't do V-signs but I like the horizontal version too!
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