You probably know someone who’s a “hand-talker,” a person who can’t make a point without doing so emphatically. He uses sweeping hand gestures, karate chops, and questionably timed claps and snaps, and occasionally positions his fingers as if to strangle an invisible victim.

Your first introduction to a hand-talker can be startling, especially if you’ve never known anyone who communicates with his hands, or if the person in front of you is using gestures you’ve never seen and don’t know how to interpret. Rest assured, hand-talking is an international occurrence. Some common hand gestures around the world include:

• The “V” for victory sign. The back of your hand is facing you in this gesture. Turn your hand around in England, and you’re insulting someone big time. (See more about hand insults.)

• The “okay” sign. Form a circle with the thumb and forefinger, and hold the other fingers straight up. (Beware: in some cultures, this, too, is an insult.)

• Thumb(s) up. This means “nice work” in many cultures.

• Waving. Says “hello” or “goodbye.”

• “Temple-ing” the hands or intertwining the fingers. In many cultures, this conveys deep thought.

• Hand(s) to the heart. This commonly indicates love or heartache.

• Chopping motions, a fist, or a finger pointed at someone’s face or chest. All of these betray hostility in the speaker.

Finger pointing is often a sign of hostility.

There are many, many more hand motions, of course. You use your hands to indicate size (the fish you caught was how big?) and spatial relationships (to indicate how close you were standing to your favorite actress on Fifth Avenue) or to mimic activities (like holding your pinky to your mouth and your thumb to your ear to tell someone to call you later). In fact, some researchers believe that the hands actually convey more meaning and emotion than the face or the mouth.