View source for Shaka sign

{{Short description|Hand gesture}}
{{distinguish|Sign of the horns|ILY sign}}
{{use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
[[File:gesture raised fist with thumb and pinky lifted.jpg|thumb|The "shaka" sign]]

The '''shaka sign''', sometimes known as "'''hang loose'''", is a gesture with friendly intent often associated with [[Hawaii]] and [[surf culture]]. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while holding the three middle fingers curled, and gesturing in salutation while presenting the front or back of the hand; the wrist may be rotated back and forth for emphasis. The shaka sign is similar in shape to the letter Y in the [[American manual alphabet]] in [[American Sign Language]] or the sign for number six in the Chinese hand counting symbol. The shaka sign should not be confused with the [[sign of the horns]], where the index and pinky fingers are extended and the thumb holds down the middle two fingers.

==Origins==
According to the ''[[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]'',<ref name="Watanabe">{{cite web |last=Watanabe |first=June |title=Wherever it came from, shaka sign part of Hawaii|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2002/03/31/news/kokualine.html| newspaper= [[Honolulu Star-Bulletin]]| access-date=13 January 2011| date=31 March 2002}}</ref> prevailing local lore credits the gesture to Hamana Kalili of [[Laie]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Honoring the Founder of the Shaka Hamana Kalili |date=16 June 2017 |publisher=This Week Hawaii |url=http://www.thisweekhawaii.com/events/oahu/840/honoring-founder-shaka-hamana-kalili/}}</ref> who lost the three middle fingers of his right hand while working at the [[Kahuku]] Sugar Mill.{{r|Guard 2024}} Kalili was then shifted to guarding the sugar train, and his all-clear wave of thumb and pinkie is said to have evolved into the shaka as children imitated the gesture.<ref name="Polynesian Cultural Center">{{cite web|title= The Shaka|url= http://www.polynesia.com/shop-online/the-shaka.html|publisher= [[Polynesian Cultural Center]]|access-date= 13 January 2011|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110622110256/http://www.polynesia.com/shop-online/the-shaka.html|archive-date= 22 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The history of the famous surfing shaka sign |publisher=SurferToday |url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-history-of-the-famous-surfing-shaka-sign}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.polynesia.com/HukilauMP1.html |title=Press Release: Polynesian Cultural Center's New Hukilau Marketplace Brings Back the Spirit of Old Laie |access-date=2017-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827173548/http://www.polynesia.com/HukilauMP1.html |archive-date=27 August 2017 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Everything You Wanted to Know About the History of the Shaka |date=15 June 2016 |author=Dylan Heyden |publisher=The Inertia |url=http://www.theinertia.com/surf/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-history-of-the-shaka/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 July 2015 |title=How Four Small-Town Oahu Natives Went on to Change the World |author=Joe Kukura |publisher=Polynesian Cultural Center |url=http://www.polynesia.com/blog/how-four-small-town-oahu-natives-went-on-to-change-the-world/}}</ref>

Another theory relates the origin of the shaka to the Spanish immigrants, who folded their middle fingers and took their thumbs to their lips as a friendly gesture to represent sharing a drink with the natives they met in Hawaii.<ref>{{cite news |date=25 September 2005 |title=Theorizing about birth of shaka |author=Bob Krauss |newspaper=The Honolulu Advertiser |url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Sep/25/ln/FP509250345.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://magazine.byu.edu/article/handy-way-rep-y/|title=World-Famous Shaka Started By Hawaiian Latter-day Saint}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Origin of the "Shaka" Sign |url=http://www.k12.hi.us/~stevenso/shaka/shaka.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030222082433/http://www.k12.hi.us/~stevenso/shaka/shaka.htm |archive-date=22 February 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Sean Reavis |title=The Shaka- History of the Hawaiian "Hang Loose" |date=18 March 2016 |publisher=Boarders |url=http://boardersmag.com/articles/the-shaka-history-of-the-hawaiian-hang-loose |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325130210/http://boardersmag.com/articles/the-shaka-history-of-the-hawaiian-hang-loose |archive-date=25 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Céline Nguyen |title=SURFIN' USA |publisher=Surf Library |url=http://surflibrary.org/SurfingUSA.html |at=See Appendix.}}</ref>

The late Lippy Espinda, a used car salesman and [[Oahu]]-based entertainer, has also been named as a possible creator of the shaka.<ref name="The Funniest People in Hawaii">{{cite magazine |url= http://www.honolulumagazine.com/core/pagetools.php?pageid=6960&url=%2FHonolulu-Magazine%2FNovember-2009%2FThe-Funniest-People-in-Hawaii%2F&mode=print |magazine= Honolulu Magazine |title= The Funniest People in Hawaii |access-date=26 December 2014}}</ref><ref name="Theorizing about birth of shaka">{{Cite web |url= http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Sep/25/ln/FP509250345.html |work= [[The Honolulu Advertiser]] |title= Theorizing about birth of shaka |access-date=December 26, 2014}}</ref> Espinda, who frequently appeared as an extra in ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]'' as well as ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' episodes shot in Hawaii, used the term and the sign during his television ads in the '60s. Though the claim that he is the originator of the shaka sign is debatable, he is credited with increasing its popularity and that of [[Hawaiian Pidgin]] as well.<ref name="Watanabe"/>

The word ''shaka'' is also used as an [[interjection]] expressing approval, which may predate its use for the shaka sign. According to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' the origin of the word is uncertain, but it may come from Japanese, where it is a [[byname]] for the [[Buddha]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Martin |first=Katherine Connor |date=December 2016 |title=Release notes: Bama and shaka: how two local words went global |url=https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2016-update-release-notes-bama-and-shaka-how-two-local-words-went-global/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624185113/https://public.oed.com/blog/december-2016-update-release-notes-bama-and-shaka-how-two-local-words-went-global/ |archive-date=24 June 2018 |access-date=8 February 2021 |website=oed.com |publisher=}}</ref>
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== Meaning and use ==
[[File:Aloha vote.jpg|thumb|A shaka sign [[foam finger]] used in [[Brian Schatz]]'s 2014 Hawaii senatorial campaign|250x250px]]

Residents of [[Hawaii]] use the shaka to convey the "[[Aloha]] Spirit", a concept of friendship, understanding, compassion, and solidarity among the various ethnic cultures that reside in [[Hawaii]], lacking a direct semantic to literal translation. Drivers will often use it on the road to communicate distant greetings along with gratitude.{{Cn|date=August 2023}} A bill making it the state's official gesture passed the legislature in 2024.<ref name="Guard 2024">{{Cite news |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878 |language=en-GB |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |department=Hawaii |access-date=2024-05-09 |date=2024-05-09 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/09/shaka-hawaii-official-hand-gesture |title=Talk to the hand: Hawaii makes shaka state's official gesture |first=Maya |last=Yang}}</ref>

[[File:Shaka Santa with Tutu Mele and penguins (2854687362).jpg|thumb|left|Shaka [[Santa Claus|Santa]] and Tutu Mele by [[Honolulu Hale]]|250x250px]]

In the Honolulu public transport system ([[TheBus (Honolulu)|TheBus]] and [[Skyline (Honolulu)|Skyline]]), [[HOLO card]] readers display the shaka sign (along with a [[ukulele]] tone) when a card is tapped.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kealakai.byuh.edu/breaking-down-how-to-use-thebus-new-holo-card-as-it-transitions-away-from-paper-passes |title=Breaking down how to use TheBus’ new HOLO card as it transitions away from paper passes |website=Ke Alaka'i |author=Stephenson, Anna |date=14 June 2021 |accessdate=21 July 2024 }}</ref>

In Hawaii, the shaka sign is known as "hang loose" and is popular in surfer culture.{{r|Guard 2024}}

Australian men's mental health charity The Shaka Project uses the shaka sign in its merchandise and logo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Shaka Project |url=https://theshakaproject.com/ |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=the shaka project. |language=en}}</ref>

There are several [[emoticon]] representations of the shaka sign, including \,,,/, \m/, and \,,,_. The earliest known use of the first two, with three commas or a lower case "m" corresponding to a hand's three middle fingers, is from 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pleiade.org/col_geal/aux_armes-mottoes.html#shaka-sign |title=Aux armes · mottoes: clarere audere gaudere & ζητεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν | last=Geal | first=Alan |publisher=Pleiade.org |date=2006-10-01 |access-date= 2016-07-02| quote= an innocently hedonistic call of American West Coast youth in the 1960s, Surf's up! : \,,,/ or \m/ Hang loose!}}</ref> The last, similar to the first except that it represents the thumb extended horizontally (as if perpendicular to the wrist) is reported, together with the first form, from [[Brigham Young University]] in 2016.<ref name=BYU />

==Similar gestures==

===Chinese number gestures===
[[File:Chinesische.Zahl.Sechs.jpg|thumb|Chinese "six" gesture]]
The sign has some similarities to the [[Chinese number gestures|Chinese number gesture]] for "six".

===Beverages===
The sign can also be used to indicate the imbibing of a bottled drink, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, as attested to below, by placing the thumb to the mouth and motioning the little finger upward as if tipping up a bottle's bottom end. A similar meaning can be achieved by pressing the thumb up against the tip of the nose with the little finger raised upwards parallel to the bridge of the nose. It is referred to as "schooies" in Australia (Australian slang for a [[Schooner (glass)|schooner]])<ref>{{cite web |title=Schooie |url= http://www.slang-dictionary.org/Schooie |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171010155918/http://www.slang-dictionary.org/Schooie |url-status= usurped |archive-date= 10 October 2017 |publisher= Slang Dictionary |access-date=25 July 2016 | quote= Australian Slang: schooner of beer }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Definition of Schooie |url= http://dictionary.babylon-software.com/schooie/ |publisher= Babylon |access-date=25 July 2016 | quote= Australian Slang: schooner of beer}}</ref>

===Telecommunications===
[[File:Callme.jpg|thumb|"Call me" gesture|250x250px]]

With the thumb held near the ear and the little finger pointed at the mouth, the gesture is commonly understood to mimic the [[handset]] of a traditional [[landline]] telephone, and depending on context can be understood to stand for "call me", "I'll call you", or "let's talk on the phone".

The Unicode 9.0 [[emoji]] [[🤙]] "Call me hand"<ref>{{cite web|title=U+1F919: CALL ME HAND|url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F900.pdf |publisher=unicode.org}}</ref> can be interpreted as the shaka sign.

===New Zealand===
In New Zealand, the shaka sign is a [[Gang Sign#Hand signs|gang salute]] for the [[Mongrel Mob]], but is not commonly used for this purpose.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/28248/patch-colours-and-salute | first1= Greg | last1=Newbold| first2=Rāwiri| last2=Taonui| title=Gangs &ndash; Māori gangs and Pacific youth gangs| encyclopedia=Te Ara &ndash; The Encyclopedia of New Zealand| date= 2012-11-12}}</ref> It can also serve as a greeting, meaning "Chur", which is a friendly gesture between friends, similar to in Hawaii where it is used in the same context.

===Austrian Leiwand===
A similar gesture was common among criminals in Vienna in 1935, accompanying the word of approval or appreciation "Leiwand".<ref>{{cite journal |title=Ein Beitrag zur Sprache des Wiener Verbrechertums |journal=Öffentliche Sicherheit |date=1935 |volume=15 |issue=8 |page=32 |url=https://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-plus?aid=ofs&datum=1935&page=308&size=45}}</ref>

==Usage examples==
Since 2015, fans of [[Brigham Young University]] (which has a [[Brigham Young University–Hawaii|satellite campus]] in Hawai'i and is also known colloquially as "the Y") have started using the gesture, in deference to newly hired [[Kalani Sitake]], BYU's Polynesian head football coach, and because of its similarity with the letter Y in the [[American manual alphabet]] in American Sign Language. It is also used as a nod of respect to Hamana Kalili, a native Hawaiian [[Latter-day Saint]] who, according to locals, is the founder of the popular sign.<ref name=BYU>{{Cite magazine|url= https://magazine.byu.edu/article/handy-way-rep-y/ |title=World-Famous Shaka Started by Hawaiian Latter-day Saint |access-date= 2016-08-10 |first= Michael R. | last= Walker | date= Summer 2016 |magazine= [[BYU Magazine]] }}</ref> 

In 2024, Filipino P-pop girl group [[Bini (group)|BINI]] became associated with the gesture when group member [[Sheena (singer)|Sheena]] used it with the distinctive phrase, ''"Eyyy ka muna, eyyy"''.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btGPPiqqkN0 |title=‘Eyyy ka muna’ trend pinauso ni BINI Sheena {{!}} Patrol ng Pilipino |date=2024-07-31 |last=ABS-CBN News |access-date=2024-11-24 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[ILY sign]]
* [[List of gestures]]
* [[List of mudras (yoga)]]
* [[Manual communication]]
* [[Sign of the horns]]
* [[Thumb signal]]
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==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|shaka}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{Gestures}}
{{Surfing}}

[[Category:Greetings]]
[[Category:Hand gestures]]
[[Category:Hawaii culture]]
[[Category:Surf culture]]
[[Category:Symbols of Hawaii]]