Air kiss

Blowing a kiss.

The air kiss is a ritual or social gesture whose meaning is basically the same as that of many forms of kissing. The air kiss is a pretence of kissing: the lips are pursed as if kissing, but without actually touching the other person's body. Sometimes, the air kiss includes touching cheek-to-cheek. Also, the gesture may be accompanied by the mwah sound.^[1] The onomatopoeic word mwah has entered Webster's dictionary.^[2]

Western culture

Francesco Totti blowing a kiss at UEFA Euro 2000.

A symbolic kiss is frequent in Western cultures. A kiss can be "blown" to another by kissing the fingertips and then blowing the fingertips, pointing them in the direction of the recipient. This is used to convey affection, usually when parting or when the partners are physically distant but can view each other. Blown kisses are also used when a person wishes to convey affection to a large crowd or audience. The term flying kiss is used in India to describe a blown kiss.

North America

In North America and most western countries influenced by North America, air kisses are sometimes associated with glamor models and other celebrities. It is a modified cheek kiss, involving kissing in the air near the cheek, with the cheeks touching or not.^[3]

South-east Asia

In Indonesia, and Malaysia, it is common to air-kiss an elder's hand as a traditional form of respectful greeting. Instead of pursing one's lips, the younger person exhaling through his nose softly on the hand before drawing the hand to the younger person's forehead.

In the Philippines, elder relatives traditionally kiss a younger relative's cheek in this same way, by exhaling gently through the nose when the younger relative's cheek is brought close.

References

↑ "MWAH", the BBC programme Keep Your English up to Date
↑ "Mwah in Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English
↑ Marie Sophie Hahnsson. "Cheek Kissing". University of Oslo. Retrieved 29 August 2008.

External links

"How to Air Kiss", a video

Gestures

Friendly gestures	Air kiss Applause Cheek kiss Dap Elbow bump Eskimo kiss Fist bump Hand heart Handshake Hand wave Hat tip High five Hongi ILY sign Kiss Liberian snap handshake Namaste OK Pound hug Shaka Thumbs signal

Gestures of respect	Adab Bow Curtsey Gadaw Genuflection Hand-kiss Kowtow Kuji-in Mano Mudra Namaste Prostration Sampeah Sembah Schwurhand Wai Zolgokh

Salutes	Bellamy salute Nazi salute Raised fist Roman salute Scout sign and salute Three-finger salute Two-finger salute Vulcan salute Zogist salute

Celebratory gestures	Applause Fist pump High five Victory clasp V sign

Finger counting	Finger binary Chinese number gestures Chisanbop

Obscene gestures	Anasyrma Bras d'honneur Cornuto Fig sign Finger Mooning Mountza Reversed V sign Shocker Thumb/index-finger ring Wanker

Taunts	Akanbe Finger Loser Talk to the hand

Head motions	Head shake Head bobble Nod

Other gestures	Air quotes Allergic salute Aussie salute Crossed fingers Facepalm Eyelid pull Finger gun Gang signal Hand-in-waistcoat Hand rubbing Jazz hands Laban sign Pabebe Wave Pollice verso Shrug Sign of the cross Sign of the horns Varadamudra

Related	List of gestures Articulatory gestures Manual communication Nonverbal communication Sign language

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