How and Why Koreans Beckon Palm Down

This used to rank up there with things that annoyed me growing up as a Korean-American kid. Did you know that Koreans beckon palm down?

My parents would signal me to go over to where they were with palms facing down.

Usually when you signal someone to come over to where you are or to follow, your palm is facing up and you bend either your wrist and/or your elbow to fold your hand up toward you. This is the much more common signal to “come here.”

But Koreans flip that. The palm faces down and you bend you wrist to fold down. It’s as if you were brushing something off a table.

This used to really bother me as a kid because it was just another way that I was different from others. And you know when you’re a kid, differences aren’t exactly revered. If anything, it makes you stand out which is all the better for picking on by other insecure kids.

Well, as it turns out, I’m lucky that my parents did not signal to me like that because Koreans only signal to dogs like that. So you never beckon for someone with palm up. It’s considered highly disrespectful to do so.

This is definitely a cultural convention to keep in mind if you find yourself in South Korea or around Koreans.

And can I tell you that it just makes sense to point downward?

Let gravity work for you!

As someone who is constantly beckoning for their kid to “come here!” I quickly switched to the Korean palm down way because it’s not tiring in the least and it seems to get the point across better. I’m fervently pointing to this spot at my feet as opposed to an airy lifting action palm up.

So even though I hated the limp wrist beckoning, I’ve come around to really appreciate it like so many other things about this cultural heritage (especially the food!).

How about you? Is there an aspect of the Korean cultural heritage that you’ve come around to appreciating as well? Share in the comments!