(てぶ)

てぶり
noun
hand gesture; hand movement; gesticulation
1. hand gesture; hand movement; gesticulation
(おお)��な手振(てぶ)りで(はな)す。
To speak with large hand gestures.
(かれ)手振(てぶ)りを(まじ)えて説明(せつめい)した。
He explained while using hand gestures.
言葉(ことば)(つう)じないので、手振(てぶ)りと身振(みぶ)りでコミュニケーションを()った。
Since words didn't get through, we communicated using hand and body gestures.

Refers specifically to gestures made with the hands, often to emphasize speech or communicate without words. Frequently paired with 身振(みぶ)り (body gesture) in the set phrase 手振(てぶ)身振(���ぶ)り.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 手振(てぶ)身振(みぶ)り: gestures and body language
  • 手振(てぶ)りを��(まじ)える: to mix in hand gestures
  • (おお)きな手振(てぶ)り: large/exaggerated gestures
  • 手振(てぶ)りで(しめ)す: to indicate with a hand gesture

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 身振(みぶ)り: body gesture (broader — includes movement of the whole body)
  • ジェスチャー: gesture (loanword, used broadly in casual speech)
  • 合図(あいず): signal (a deliberate, agreed-upon sign rather than spontaneous movement)

CULTURAL NOTE:
Japanese communication tends to use fewer hand gestures than many Western cultures. However, certain gestures are distinctly Japanese, such as waving the hand in front of the face to indicate "no" or pointing to one's own nose to mean "me."