Meaning

Primary

Body Language

Alternative

Gesture

Word Type

noun

Explanation

The way your body shakes is how you use body language or how you gesture.

身振り generally refers to gestures in terms of body movements that make communication more expressive or help bridge language barriers. You'll often encounter this together with 手振り (hand gestures) in the phrase 身振り手振り.

Reading

みぶり
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

The reading for this is the kun'yomis for and 振る put together, where the 振り gets rendaku'd to ぶり.

Context

Context Sentences

日本人の人たちと、身振り手振りで何とかコミュニケーションをとることができた。

I managed to communicate to Japanese people with gestures.

あの子って、いつも身振り手振りがいつも大げさなんですよね。

That girl is always exaggerating her gestures and body language.

ビエトは部下に、どこかに隠れるよう身振りで合図した。

Viet motioned to his men to hide somewhere.

男は肩をすくめて「それで?オレは知らねーよ?」という意味の身振りをした。

The man shrugged his shoulders, making a gesture that meant, "So what? I don't know anything about it, okay?"

Kanji Composition