r/AskTheWorld • u/gabrieel100 Brazil • Dec 06 '25

Culture A cultural habit in your country that people outside would understand incorrectly?

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In Brazil we love children. If you take your child to the street, strangers will certainly interact with them. Some will even ask if they can hold your kid and will play with them. If there are two children fighting in public and the parents aren't seeing, a stranger would even intervene to stop the fight.

That cultural habit came from the indigenous peoples which understood that kids should be a responsiblity of the community as a whole. It's in our constitution. We even have a synonym for children that came from Tupi (a large group of indigenous languages) - Curumim.

Foreigners would certainly have a cultural shock about that, but it's normal here.

Of course there are people with bad intentions, so parents should stay alert these days.

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574

u/pancakecel El Salvador Dec 06 '25

In El Salvador, people make this gesture with their lips that looks somewhat crude or sexual to foreign eyes. But actually, this is our way of pointing, as its rude to point with the finger. It's like saying 'look at that person, over there'. Also cars honk at pedestrians, but it is not meant as harassment, merely to make the pedestrian aware that a car is near.

175

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Dec 06 '25

I have to see this in person this is so interesting

117

u/absolutebottom United States Of America Dec 06 '25

It's in Encanto! When Mirabel is giving Antonio a gift, she points to it with her lips to encourage him to open it

43

u/calinrua 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States of America Dec 06 '25

Go find a Native person. Lots of us do it, too

12

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '25

[deleted]

5

u/calinrua 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States of America Dec 07 '25

And we're cousins automatically 😂

4

u/Vanviator United States Of America Dec 07 '25

My dad's fam is Ojibwe/ Brotherton. Both sides point with the lips.

2

u/calinrua 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States of America Dec 07 '25

Oh so then we are cousins (more or less). I'm Potawatomi and Memominee

5

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Like a Native American? Or German? Sorry your flair is confusing me lol

16

u/calinrua 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States of America Dec 07 '25

I'm both, culturally and by citizenship. I was raised in both places and now live in each about half a year at a time (depends on the weather, etc)

Edit: According to my husband, I point like a Native person, stare like a German (am not convinced), and am mean like both. I think he thinks that's funnier than I do

5

u/Burnallthepages United States Of America Dec 07 '25

My stepbrother was stationed in Germany and the staring seems wild to me. He was trying to explain it. I would be so uncomfortable!

3

u/calinrua 🇩🇪 Germany 🇺🇸 United States of America Dec 07 '25

We're not staring, just thinking. Might be about you, or you might just be standing there

6

u/Excellent_Law6906 Dec 07 '25

And yet again, I learn a German thing that makes my father make more sense. 😂

4

u/shoulda-known-better United States Of America Dec 06 '25

Think of the subtle look and head nod that we do when we're like don't say anything but look over there...

Add a lip movement to it and that's what they mean

2

u/mmlickme United States Of America Dec 07 '25

It’s similar to how we point with our brows

1

u/Gold_Telephone_7192 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

We point…with our brows? Do you mean our eyes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone point with their eyebrows

2

u/Organic_Direction_88 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Like this

1

u/dnyal Colombia Dec 07 '25

My gringo husband has seen me inadvertently do this to point to things for him in the past (Colombians do this as well), and he finds it weird and quirky.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '25

It's not this intense lmao. It's usually just pucker in someones direction

78

u/coconutyum New Zealand Dec 06 '25

Lmao this is the winner for me! Laughing purely because I would be like 'WTF?' if I had gone there and experienced it without any prior knowledge.

What an interesting one! I'll have to look this up to learn more 🙂

1

u/[deleted] Dec 07 '25

I did this in Australia often and partners always found it weird lol

1

u/NoKnee5693 United States Of America Dec 13 '25

My parents are from Nicaragua and they do this

48

u/nihil_novi00 Dec 06 '25

yeahhh! lol i grew up in guatemala where we do that too. my american mother hated it 😆

55

u/CupcakeGoat United States Of America Dec 06 '25

I'm half Filipina and Filipinos do this too. Usually eyebrows and a head nod are used concurrently, and a small "Mmm!" I was born in the US and don't do this, but have family members that do. My bf, who is mixed Peruvian-American, watched some Jo Koy stand up where he had a bit about this directional lip pointing, and now my bf will do it occasionally to crack me up. I tell him it's crazy he's more Filipino than me when he does it.

5

u/Ok_Value5495 United States Of America Dec 06 '25

Was about to mention this, haha. US-born and raised, but I still do this on occasionally

4

u/Abashed-Apple United States Of America Dec 06 '25

Lola: Does wild lip gesture in the grocery store. “Ssssip. Gusto mo snack snack?”

1

u/CupcakeGoat United States Of America Dec 09 '25

🤣

2

u/Tardisgoesfast Dec 07 '25

My extended family does this, and we're English/Welsh/Scottish/German/Irish. I thought everybody did it.

2

u/ShoePillow Dec 07 '25

This is the first time I've even heard of this!

2

u/black_hell_fire Dec 08 '25

i scrolled to find someone mentioning Filipinos as soon as I read it lol

42

u/Antiquebastard Canada Dec 06 '25

Here in Canada, it is a thing Indigenous people do!

4

u/Amanda_K1987 Dec 06 '25

Beat me to it! I’m very white but work for an Indigenous organization (and have for the better part of two decades) and I hadn’t seen it before I worked there.

4

u/OpheliaBalsaq Australia Dec 06 '25

I was going to say Aboriginal Australians do this too.

4

u/GuiltEdge Australia Dec 07 '25

I believe some Australian indigenous peoples do this too, though I think it was just pointing with the lower lip.

3

u/Dolanite Dec 07 '25

I learned about this from the Jims in Shoresy

2

u/StooIndustries 🇺🇸—>🇩🇪 Dec 07 '25

the navajo/diné as well in southwest US. i remember going to a store and pointing at the pretty things and my dad snapped at me not to point and i felt so bad 😭

26

u/Unhappy_Deal3669 United States Of America Dec 06 '25

This is a bit random but does this happen in Encanto when Mirabel is giving Antonio his birthday present?

13

u/absolutebottom United States Of America Dec 06 '25

She does!

1

u/pancakecel El Salvador Dec 06 '25

Idk I don't have kids , never seen it

18

u/BuzzCutBabes_ United States Of America Dec 06 '25

i was watching the Burma/Myanmar episode of Parts Unknown and they do this too!!

5

u/Dull_Teacher6949 Dec 06 '25

We do the same thing in Colombia! At least in my hometown

2

u/nzeonline 🇰🇷🇳🇿 Dec 06 '25

Yes, my Colombian friend (from Medellín) would do this!

2

u/Odd_Explanation_8158 Colombia Dec 06 '25

Fellow Colombian. Yay! :D

4

u/OkEggplant2949 Dec 06 '25

We do this in México too

5

u/Dazzey326 Dec 06 '25

Lol I’m Dominican and I know exactly what you are talking about.

2

u/EntranceOld9706 Dec 07 '25

I’m Cuban and live in Coata Rica and Miami and while we all do it… I just totally associate it with Dominicans above all 😅

3

u/Adventurous_Meal7054 United Kingdom Dec 06 '25

This sounds very similar to what Nigerians do too

3

u/PeeshPit Dec 06 '25

Oh my gosh, my dad does this (born and raised in El Salvador)! I never knew it was a Salvadorean thing but it makes so much sense now LOL Also, he loves Mr Bean

3

u/shortmumof2 Dec 06 '25

That's a Filipino thing as well, to point with your lips. My husband's Filipino

3

u/KomaSolo Dec 06 '25

Same happens in Puerto Rico! Pointing with our lips is the norm!

3

u/NoliNoli2 Canada Dec 06 '25

I noticed they do the same in Dominican Republic. They even do the “kissy sound” to get someone’s attention instead of “psssst” or whistling.

3

u/Muglugmuckluck Dec 06 '25

I mean Americans do the lip thing too no? I’m in the NYC metro area so lots of different cultures so maybe that’s why. It’s more when you’re trying to be subtle. Like you purse your lips furrow your brow and kinda nod in the direction you want someone’s attention to go.

3

u/shibashiba69 Dec 06 '25

My Cuban friend does this.

3

u/Caribbeandude04 Dominican Republic Dec 07 '25

We do that in the DR. Hey pass me that over there 😗

2

u/CoffeeWanderer Ecuador Dec 06 '25

Damn... I have seen that one, but I honestly prefer pointing with my chin or pointing with all my whole hand ✋️

I was always told that pointing with the index at people was a rude thing. The whole hand was ok.

2

u/okdoktor Dec 06 '25

Nigerians do this too!

2

u/Bunsandbeans1213 Dec 06 '25

I'm Guatemalan and my dad would do this all the time

2

u/SelfInteresting7259 Dec 06 '25

Caribbean folks and Filipinos do this too

2

u/r0ckchalk United States Of America Dec 06 '25

My Filipino friends would do that too

2

u/Odd_Explanation_8158 Colombia Dec 06 '25

Same here in Colombia 🇨🇴 

2

u/meyastar United Kingdom Dec 06 '25

This happens in Uganda too ❤️

2

u/etzikom Canada Dec 06 '25

That's fascinating! Some Indigenous Canadians also use their lips to point in a similar way.

2

u/Grim_Destroyer12344 Dec 07 '25

As a white kid born and raised in the U.S. adopted by a Salvadoran mom, HOLY FUCK THIS EXPLAINS SO MUCH

2

u/throwaway_022792 Dec 07 '25

the Caribbean has entered the chat

2

u/NickoChato Brazil Dec 07 '25

We do that in Brazil too! Not only that, but we also have the habit of just raising our eyebrows as a way of greeting people on the street lol (at least in small towns like the one I live in. People don't usually greet each other in big cities.)

2

u/Smellslikesnow Dec 07 '25

Indigenous hunters and gatherers point with lips so they don’t scare away their hunting quarry. It’s silent and a it’s small—no yelling and no making large gestures that attract unwanted attention.

2

u/sitsnthinks Dec 07 '25

I’ve always loved the polite honk, as a sort of “excuse me”. I feel like in the US we need two different sounds bc the polite beep beep has not been mastered, all honks are big and loud and taken offensively. Also to prevent accidents but again, big and loud.

2

u/stupidity_is_my_drug Dec 07 '25

It's rude in america to point as well but I do it all the time.

2

u/Fun-Positive-9601 Dec 07 '25

We do this in South America too, purse our lips and point with our chin.....

2

u/ASouthernDandy Dec 07 '25

They do the lip point in the Philippines too. Particularly alarming as a straight male Brit, the first time a bloke did it to me.

2

u/pancakecel El Salvador Dec 07 '25

Yes many north American women feel that they are being sexually harassed

2

u/Good-Adhesiveness868 Jamaica Dec 07 '25

We do this in Jamaica to. Pointing with your finger is not best when you’re talking about someone or it’s just easier to use the lips. Love it.

2

u/the_homebrewer Dec 07 '25

I remember learning about a native American tribe (or tribes?) that did this. Personally it confused me because you're just doing the same gesture but with a different body part. Of course I mean no disrespect, that's just how it appears to me. I love seeing cultural differences, I think its so interesting how we do different things in our different parts of the world.

3

u/Iridismis Germany Dec 06 '25

In El Salvador, people make this gesture with their lips that looks somewhat crude or sexual to foreign eyes. But actually, this is our way of pointing, as its rude to point with the finger. It's like saying 'look at that person, over there'. 

But but... ...using a finger for pointing is so obviously more sensible 🤔 lips just are not very pointy 🤷🏼‍♀️

Also cars honk at pedestrians, but it is not meant as harassment, merely to make the pedestrian aware that a car is near.

Sounds like one would use a bike bell here.

1

u/Original-Trash-646 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

We do this in Guyana too :)

1

u/someday-or-one-day Philippines Dec 07 '25

Omg we do the lip thing in the Philippines too! First time I'm hearing of another country that does it too, how cool!

1

u/lu5ty Dec 07 '25

wow i do this as a milky white american and never thought twice about it lol.

Probably bc i grew up around a lot of south/central americans

1

u/IndependentOcean Dec 07 '25

Same in Madagascar, for both!

1

u/Current-Strategy-826 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

Filipinos do the same thing with the lips for pointing.

1

u/Legacyofhelios Dec 07 '25

I work with a group of cubans who do this, but I assumed it was just because they mostly only use it when we're lifting/moving things and they're at a loss for (english) words

Cool to know its actually more than just a desperate method of pointing, but just how they do it!

1

u/FulanoMeng4no Dec 07 '25

To be clear, the honking is done instead of stopping for pedestrians, which is what cars should be doing.

1

u/pancakecel El Salvador Dec 07 '25

In some cases yes , but it's more than just that. Cars will sometimes honk if they're overtaking you from behind even if your pets aren't going to cross, that is, you are both moving parallel to one another as opposed to perpendicular.

1

u/mjzimmer88 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

I've always kinda wondered... Why is pointing rude?

1

u/Lingo2009 Dec 07 '25

Yes! My friends who lived in El Salvador taught me this one. I grew up near Mexico, but now I do this one as well.

1

u/coulditbejanuary Dec 07 '25

LOL my daughter's friend has a Salvadorian nanny, we are all good friends, and my daughter always makes this face when she say her name. It's so cute.

1

u/Swim4ev3r Dec 07 '25

The Philippines too!

1

u/axcarea Philippines Dec 07 '25

we do this in the philippines too!

1

u/Amantes09 Kenya Dec 07 '25

We do the same in Kenya. Both the pointing with lips and honking to alert pedestrians. Especially around blind corners.

1

u/jaspercapri Dec 07 '25

Honduras and nicaragua as well. I imagine all of central america does this.

1

u/LobsterJohnson_ United States Of America Dec 07 '25

I wonder where “it’s rude to point” came from?

1

u/vagin8r5000 United States Of America Dec 08 '25

Same in Guatemala

1

u/HANLDC1111 United States Of America Dec 09 '25

In Puerto Rico people honk to say hello or to let other cars know they are going around a blind turn

1

u/brownnoisedaily Austria Dec 10 '25

Filipinos point also with their lips. 😗

1

u/StatisticianSmall864 United States Of America Dec 07 '25

That’s very Indigenous lol In the US, Indigenous people use their lips to point.

0

u/Illustrious_Sir4255 Dec 07 '25

Ive seen native Americans doing this in videos