INTERNATIONAL SYMBOLS

Gender Symbols

Below are some unique symbols that represent genders in the society.

 Circle with cross only – Female

 Circle with arrow only – Male
 Circle with both arrow and cross – Transgender; it may also refer to the whole LGBT Community

Peace Symbol

Gerald Holtom purposely designed this presently known symbol of

peace for a nuclear disarmament campaign in London during the
year 1958. If we look closely, letters “N” and “D are formed by the lines
inside the circle. The two letters stood for Nuclear Disarmament. It was
revealed that the symbol was originally representing despair during
those times. Between 1961 and 1968, Jim Marshall – a photographer –
took photos of the symbol in the streets and recognized it as peace
symbol.

Warning Symbol

The exclamation point is a punctuation mark used sentence

construction. It usually denotes extreme emotions and/or emphasis
when used in a sentence. Other than that, it also indicates harm (such
as skin irritation) and serves as a warning sign. It is one of the hazard
symbols to take note of, especially when buying products.
Skull Symbol

As a hazard symbol, the skull indicates that a product contains

highly poisonous substances to be careful of. In other contexts,
skull symbol also associated to death as derived from the
known image of the grim reaper.

Recycle Symbol

This Mobius Loop Recycle Symbol, is one of the commonly

seen recycle symbols in product labels. This helps us identify
whether a packaging is capable of being recycled after its
first use.
 GESTURES AROUND THE WORLD

Summoning Gesture

In America, it usually means calling someone

to come to you. It is also used to seduce a
person. But in the Philippines, using this hand
gesture would mean insult to Filipinos because
it is only used in calling dogs.

V-Hand Sign

During 1900s, Commonwealth nations take

this hand sign as an insult. Until in 1941, The
Allies of World War II used it as a campaign
hand sign which meant “victory” (the index
and middle finger form the letter “V”). In
1960 during the Vietnam war, the V-hand
sign stood as a symbol of peace.
Nowadays, it is used as a picture pose that
displays cuteness (sometimes used as a hip
hop pose). A V-hand sign facing inwards is
also considered as an insult in counties such
as UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

“OK” Hand Sign

In most parts of the world, this gesture means

“OK”, as the index finger and thumb curled
together form the letter “O” while the three
remaining fingers as the back form the letter “K”.
In Japan, it symbolizes money; while in other
countries like France and Tunisia, it is considered
as an insult because the “O” stands for “zero” or
having no worth.
 Crossed Fingers

In America, crossing fingers means wishing someone good luck.

But in Vietnam, it is considered as an insult because it resembles
the female genitals. It is also equivalent to the F-word or middle
finger hand sign.

Checking on your watch

In Arab countries, it is disrespectful

to look down on your watch to
check time, even in casual
conversations. Doing this will make
them feel that you are uninterested
in conversing with them.