When chatting with some Japanese friends today, the subject of finger names came up for some reason – specifically what the different fingers are called in Japanese and English. It took quite a while to establish which finger corresponded to which name – to make this clear, I found a picture of a hand, added labels and uploaded it to my site.

This is what the fingers are called in those languages:

拇指 (boshi) / 親指 (oyayubi) lit. “thumb/parent finger” = thumb

人差し指 (hitosashiyubi) = lit. “person offering finger” = first finger / index finger

中指 (nakayubi) = middle finger

薬指 (kusuriyubi) = lit. “medicine finger” = third finger /ring finger

小指 (koyubi) = lit. “little finger” = fourth finger / little finger / pinky

In Latin the fingers are named thus:

Thumb = Polex

First finger = Demonstratus (pointer)

Second finger = Impudicus (gesticulates)

Third finger = Annularis (ring)

Fourth finger = Auricularis (removing wax from ear)

Their names in Welsh are as follows:

Thumb = bawd

First finger = bys troed (foot finger)

Second finger = bys canol (middle finger)

Third finger = bys y fodrwy (ring finger)

Fourth finger = bys bach (little finger)

and Irish they’re:

Thumb = ordóg

First finger = corrmhéar (odd finger)

Second finger = méar fhada (long finger)

Third finger = méar fáinne (ring finger)

Fourth finger = lúidín

What about in your language?