You already know how to say hand in Japanese, it would be “Te”. And the fingers, “Yubi”. But do you know its verbs? I mean, verbs to explain in Japanese what hands and fingers do, do you know them?

The actions that we do with our body are the first and most important of all verbs. Why ?, because if you don’t know them, it is very difficult to communicate at the moment of the conversation.

You want someone to pass you a bottle of salt. How do you say “Pass me the salt” in Japanese?

In Japanese it would be:

塩 (し お) を 取 (と) っ て く だ さ い。

「と る」 is to take something, but in this case we use this verb in the sense of “take it and pass it to me”.

Anyway, if you don’t know the verb Toru, even little things like this you can’t express. And how do you say touch, hit, indicate, etc.?

I mean, if you don’t learn these body-related action verbs, in this case by hand, you would make your life more difficult.

So here I have a list of verbs related to hands and fingers.

To learn this, I recommend you watch this video, so that you can see exactly what verb for what action, because when in Spanish or English one verb is used to cover different actions, it is not necessarily in the same way in Japanese, or vis-à-vis.

The vocabulary of the hands and fingers

て 手 Hand
てのひら　手の平　Palm
てのこう　手の甲　The back of the hand
かたて　片手　One hand
りょうて　両手　Both hands
みぎて　右手　Right hand
ひだりて　左手　Left hand


ゆび　指　Finger
おやゆび　親指　Thumb
ひとさしゆび　人差し指　Index finger
なかゆび　中指　Middle finger
くすりゆび　薬指　Ring finger
こゆび　小指　Little finger

30 essential transitive verbs of the hands and fingers

[ゆび　指 finger]

ゆびをまげる　指を曲げる Bend your finger
ゆびをならす　指を鳴らす Make sounds with fingers
ゆびをさす　指を指す Point with finger  

[て　手 hand]
てのひらをかえす　手の平(掌)を返す flip the hand
てをにぎる　手を握る  open hand / grub hand
mano
てをひろげる　手を広げる open mano 
ペンをにぎる　ペンを握る hold a pen 
おす　押す　Push
じをかく　字を書く　Write a word
えをかく　絵を描く Draw a picture
かく　掻く　Scratch

はしをもつ　箸を持つ Hold chopsticks 
おわんをささえる　お椀を支える Support the bowl 

てにとる　手に取る Take
てをはなす　手を放す Let go
なげる　投げる Throw 
ほおる　放る Throw
とる　取る Catch 

たたく　叩く Hit 
さわる　触る Touch
なでる　撫でる Stroke

つかむ　掴む frío
まわす　回す Turn
あける　開ける open 
にぎる　握る Hold 
にぎりしめる　握りしめる Clasp

ほおずえをつく　頬杖をつく Cup chin in the palm of hand
くちをふさぐ　口を塞ぐ Close the mouth with things
めをこする　目を擦る Rub eyes
ジャンケンをする Play rock-paper-scissors
てをふる　手を振る Wave hands
かかえる　抱える Hold something heavy in hands