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The mini heart gesture is a trend that was popularized in
The mini heart gesture is a trend that was popularized in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
in which the index finger and thumb come together like a snap to form a tiny heart.
Popular usage
Before the appearance of finger hearts, it was common to make small hearts with two hands or to make large hearts by raising and curving both arms above the head. Conventionally, heart display using both hands and arms has been performed worldwide, but finger hearts are also called Korean Finger Hearts because they are associated with the rise of South Korean pop culture. InSouth Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, it is a known symbol among Korean celebrities (namely actors and singers) and their fans, and is popularly performed using the thumb and index finger.
Though various instances of finger hearts may be found from before 2010 (namely, in K-pop musician G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong (; born August 18, 1988), also known by his stage name G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, known as the " King of K-pop". G-Dragon is the recipi ...
's childhood photo), finger hearts are considered to have been first popularized by actress Kim Hye-soo
Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women.
Kim bega ...
then in the K-pop community by Infinite
Infinite may refer to:
Mathematics
* Infinite set, a set that is not a finite set
*Infinity, an abstract concept describing something without any limit
Music
*Infinite (group), a South Korean boy band
*''Infinite'' (EP), debut EP of American m ...
's Nam Woohyun in 2011.
The thumb and index finger gesture has become popular across Asia due to the popularity of K-pop and Korean dramas, and increasingly so in other parts of the world as a factor of the Korean Wave. Most notably the K-pop band BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
have popularized the gesture to a wider international audience.
During the 2018 Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...
in Pyeongchang, The North Face
The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, in Yosemite ...
provided gloves with highlighted thumb and index finger sleeves to highlight this symbol.
In 2021, the finger heart was introduced as emoji "Hand with Index Finger and Thumb Crossed" with the release of Unicode 14.0 U+1FAF0.
See also
*Hand heart
A hand heart is a gesture in which a person forms a heart shape using their fingers.
The upside down hand heart gesture was noted in art in 1989, when Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan and American philosopher Chad Buelow created an art image ...
References
Hand gestures Heart symbols {{SouthKorea-stub