The Greek Nonverbal “No”: an upward head nod, paired with a brief eyebrow raise and upward eye roll, accompanied by a dental click (“tsou”). Does this gesture exist in your country?

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MsMix4697@reddit

I saw that on a guy not from that region and it looked weird, as if he was disappointed? I felt really sorry for him.

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Istar10n@reddit

That click maybe, nodding your head vertically usually means yes here. Horizontally is no.

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Yavannia@reddit

Nodding your head up like he does is no here while down is yes.

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Substantial-One1934@reddit

The Balkans may be a big mess for a foreigner.

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See the thing is we have both with a distinct difference to these nonverbal cues. Nodding up and down- Yes Shaking head left to right- No raising head upwards and Raising eyebrows upwards(or only eyebrows works too)- No Slowly nodding down- Yes I've actually gotten in many misunderstandings with my grandparents when I only nodded to what they were saying, so maybe head shaking is a more new thing? Either way I still explained this to them, lol. I also think I've seen the nod down thing as yes elsewhere, like in western n tv maybe spy movies? I think they use it as proceed though I may be mistaken

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NoHawk668@reddit

Yeah, same in Croatia. "Ț" and quick on the side.

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NoEatBatman@reddit

We have the same one in the west of Romania, it's a "tsk" sound with a side nod

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treba_dzemper@reddit

Depends.

Tcok/tsk alone or with a short "ne" LR shake is a short "jok"

The eyeroll, swinging head back and tcok is more of a "Ma nee, ma kakvi"

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

Opet on ne razume. Podizanje glave, ne zavaljivanje. Ovde eyeroll nije prevrtanje očima, više je samo pogled na gore. Pogledaj lepo video, pročitaj komentare. Ne znam da li si svestan koliko su to kratki pokreti, nego ovaj u videu ih ponavlja 5 puta i sve više naglašava svaki put. Ovo nije samo po sebi teatralnost. A generalno prevrtanje očima i mlataranje koje ti pominješ se svugde tako i razumeju, ne pričamo sad o tome.

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Sinirmanga@reddit

I thought this was universal. I learned it wasn't AFTER 6 months of using it in the US.

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Mysterious_Might3977@reddit

- You want fries with that?

- Tsk.

- ... Uhh, sir? Are you OK?

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Sinirmanga@reddit

It happened 😞

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Oh💀

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AgitatedSplit4039@reddit

How even this the same 😭

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Sea_Gap_6569@reddit

except bah, it’s the same in east of Aegean

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Yakuboglu-Wg5@reddit

In Türkiye it is "aagh"

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

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Inner_Variety2826@reddit

Why I can hear images?!

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PartialIntegration@reddit

Same here, just without the nod

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DuePositive8957@reddit

Yep, here aswell.

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TheRealBucketCrab@reddit

Does it also mean something like a sigh to you too?

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dilbi@reddit

Yes! My grandmother had this story about a Turkish spy who infiltrates Russia and gets exposed after drinking and doing this head nod to say no! Ahaha

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Humble-Particular978@reddit

And that's where tarantino stole the "three beers" finger raising that reveals the American spy in inglorious basterds. Your grandma needs to sue Tarantino.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Is it common in a specific region?

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DuePositive8957@reddit

Nope, common everywhere in Turkiye.

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i_am_someone_or_am_i@reddit

It is so common I didn't even notice this isn't a thing in other countries. I thought it was a universal thing.

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hazenshine@reddit

Wasn’t that something universal?..

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DuePositive8957@reddit

And also we dont do the head nod specifically. We just make the sound

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

We do the head nod, eye roll, and eyebrow lift combo 🥲

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ohgoditsdoddy@reddit

Upward nod with the raised eyebrows is the norm, we are just increasingly distilling it down to “tsk.” :)

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ohgoditsdoddy@reddit

Upward nod is the norm, we are just increasingly distilling it down to “tsk.”

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Yakuboglu-Wg5@reddit

There can be head nod also but it is optional.

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Final-Nebula-7049@reddit

The longer the eyebrow pause., the more you're not getting it

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idulort@reddit

This. Lmao... The lingering eyebrow raise of eternal disapproval.. I use this a lot and don't release until I see utter defeat amd surrender in people's eyes.

If I feel really wicked, I add a mocking smile that screams "the fuck"... So people can read the entire navy seal copy pasta on my face during the suspense.

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Final-Nebula-7049@reddit

Close the eyes and it's game over

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

The eyebrow pause in Greece means you're absolute, like it's a hard no.

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Final-Nebula-7049@reddit

Exactly, exponential with the amount of time they stay up

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Yakuboglu-Wg5@reddit

I only expexted another one too which is I!Iıı by raising eyebrowns.

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Street_Couple2456@reddit

Not balkan but we use that click in italy

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of_trapezous@reddit

nod up= dominance=contest=no

nod down=submission=agreement= yes

facial movements that immitate that nod mean the same. eg raising eyebrows means upward head movement means no. sounds can also be independent or augments but i cant fully explain the mechanics of them.

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ThirdEyeTrader@reddit

Same in eastern whole Europe. Probably includes Syria, too.

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CapitalScarcity5573@reddit

We call that a Ntz

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az226@reddit

In northern Sweden there is the opposite (meaning yes) where you suck in air like you’re opening your mouth to whistle but suck in air instead like a straw but it makes and audible whoop sound.

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keenox90@reddit

Sounds weird af

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az226@reddit

Huuooooouuupff.

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StrangeUglyBird@reddit

We just shake our head a bit.
The confusing thing is that in Denmark we say "næh" for no. It is pronounced like the Greek "Ναί" for yes. So we have to be careful when we visit Grece.

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Carbonised1@reddit

Im kurdish from iraq we do the same

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Upbeat_Spirit4478@reddit

Until this day I thought it was Turkish

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Mindless_Balance1780@reddit

It is. It's common in Ottoman occupied regions.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

No, it's more likely Byzantine occupied territories as it also exists in South Italy and primarily Sicily 🇮🇹

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clean_sweepp@reddit

The sound is called a dental click and is used in Turkey, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Italy, Portugal, Romania, the Levant, Iran and other parts of the Middle East. The likely point of origin is in ancient Persia where it spread to the Greeks and then to the Romans, which is why today the majority of the countries from the former Roman Empire use it.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

It only exists in South Italy though in this form, if it was spread by the Romans it would cover much more land area.

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clean_sweepp@reddit

Don't know about the full version with "ba" or "ma" or whatever it says, but the click sound itself is widespread through the countries I've listed and is widely used. This is a common way to say no and it has been studied because it covers a large geographical area where the cultures and languages don't have recent ties to each other.

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Temporary_County1838@reddit

"Ottoman occupied regions" what does it mean?

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Early-Show2886@reddit

He/she meant the balkans...this is why he/she is happy does our island ada kaleh was flooded.

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mico9@reddit

unknown in hungary

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Early-Show2886@reddit

No we descendants of Adakalehsiz Turks havent this, even in Turkish Trakya we didnt adopted it.

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baxulax@reddit

I think the Persians do Thai too.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Apparently, the same gesture exists in Sicily. What about the Balkans?

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giorgio_gabber@reddit

Exists in all of Italy. Probably not with the eyebrow movement

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Brewskier@reddit

Been to Rome a couple of years back and unconsciously I replied to a waiter with just a "tsouck" sound when he asked about something. He instantly said " you're Greek , aren't you?" I said yes how did you guess it and he told me that only us Greeks make this sound for no. I found it funny but also quite interesting as it has never happened to me before, to be told about or actually to think about it.

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Haunting_Toe_7768@reddit

Lived in Italy my entire life and i have never seen this gesture

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

The whole gesture or just the dental click sound? Also, I thought it was only a thing in the South?

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giorgio_gabber@reddit

The click sound is everywhere.

Although I feel in the north it is done while doing "no" with the head.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

In the South you nod upwards, lift your eyebrows, and roll your eyes while doing the click sound?

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giorgio_gabber@reddit

Mmm the nod upwards yes, but the eye movement (eyebrows and rolling) feel less natural to me.

To my Italian eyes the gesture in the video feels like a no said with strong "uninterested" and almost offended vibe

But who knows Italy has a lot of variety.

Btw am northerner (lite) but as most Italians I know people from all over the place

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

In Greece the eyeroll and eyebrows movement are important, in fact just this movement means no (without the clock or nod).

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treba_dzemper@reddit

Almost everywhere but usually just the tcok gesture since we can't be arsed to do the whole theatre most of the time.

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

People in ex yu most definitely do not lift the chin up to say "no", nor do they understand it like that. This is not just "we cannot be bothered". You have to understand that in Greece even without the sound, just doing the opposite nod means "no".

The "C" sound does exist. Lifting the chin up in ex yu is usually used as a potential escalation of a confrontation.

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treba_dzemper@reddit

It absolutely means "ma nee, ma kakvi" here and in bunch of places in ex yu

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

Da li ti mene zajebavaš, da obrnuto klimanje, dizanje glave znači "ne"? Ti misliš na celo odmahivanje i generalno mahanje glavom i rukama u "maaa neeee" značenju sa sve rečima i zvukovima, jer bez toga ne ide. Pogrešno tumačiš video. Podizanje glave gore, na suvo, bez ikakve gestikulacije, bez zvukova, bez ičega je u Grčkoj i Bugarskoj jednako kao kad mi na kratko pomerimo glavu levo-desno. Kratko. Bez teatralnosti, bez prenemaganje, bez prenaglašavanja i ubeđivanja. Ovo što ti vidiš na snimku nije prenemaganje i teatralnost kad se nešto ubeđuju. Ovo je suvo - ne. Gore-ne, dole-da.

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vbd71@reddit

In Bulgaria yes, IMHO.

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Conscious-Map6957@reddit

AFAIK this is seen in most regions formerly occupied by the ottoman empire, I'm not sure it's actually a characteristic greek thing.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Not really, as this exact gesture is found in South Italy as well. It's most likely linked to Byzantine Greeks.

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Fred_Neecheh@reddit

The sound yes, but the head moves left to right. Up down means yes. And also "ne" in Greek means "yes" but means "no" in all Slavic languages in the Balkans, or at least in Serbian/Croatiam/Bosnian/Montenegrin.

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Mnd3333@reddit

I feel like this isn't just Greek? It's just a gesture belonging to the balkans and most of Turkey at this point.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

I don't know that's my question. It exists in Sicily as well, and it made me wonder.

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SpiritedAddition8206@reddit

Honestly today I learned people other than Turks do this, this is a universal gesture in my country.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

We also do a single dental click when we are frustrated. Like when you tried multiple times doing something and you keep failing, it means you're mad.

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SpiritedAddition8206@reddit

Yeah same here

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_mayuk@reddit

Oh wow Latino Americans do something similar xd that sound followed by naaah! Xd

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TechnologyMinute2714@reddit

Exists in Turkey

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tipoftheiceberg1234@reddit

Yes. Though we typically look down and wag our finger “no”

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dorobica@reddit

Same in Romania

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envalemdor@reddit

Pretty certain that It’s everywhere in Balkans in the past I met Albanian, Serbian, Greek in Canada, all did this including me, definitely not unique to Greece/Greeks

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

It's also found in South Italy, Malta, and the Middle East.

So it must be pretty old, the geographical area it covers is interesting.

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it_spelt_magalhaes@reddit

It is known.

Portugal is in the balkans.

Just... not geographically.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

You have this in Portugal???

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it_spelt_magalhaes@reddit

The head toss and tsk? Subtle eye roll and eyebrow game?

Old ladies shaming you for some stupid idea like 'nah, child, that's not done'.

Buddies going 'don't even'.

Your parents when you ask to stay out later.

Oh yeah, we got it.

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

But would you use it to reply as a simple "no" if someone asks you "is this the way to the main square"?

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it_spelt_magalhaes@reddit

Simple? Not really.

But I can see an older gentleman go:

"Tsk, not that way! You should go through there, cross at João's and then it's right there."

Of course you don't know who the hell João is, but that's directions in Portugal.

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

So it always has a tone of criticism to it. Here it is just a simple no, if they want to criticise you, the same sound can be used, but multiple times and the tone of voice will be disappointed.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

I'm actually mind-blown, how did this reach Portugal?

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

It exists in Spain to. However, there is a misunderstanding here. What they do is they use "c,c,c" or "tsk, tsk, tsk" multiple times for criticizm, disapproval. They will not use a single "c" for a simple negation.

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it_spelt_magalhaes@reddit

To quote "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?"

It's a geographical improbability.

I gentilly invite you to visit r/portugalcykablyat

Much more unites than separates us.

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Early-Show2886@reddit

and not spain....you forgot...LOL

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Vistbalt@reddit

this "tcou" is common even in south regions of Russia, in Ukraine

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Early-Show2886@reddit

and spain not? LOL

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edsonschiffer@reddit

My wife is greek so when I would ask a question that could be responded with "yes" or "No" and when she used the "no" I would understand as "yes" with time I realized that she was saying no lol

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Rare-Bullfrog-4878@reddit

Also used in Malta

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DarkFuryKH@reddit

Not a balkan but the "Tsou" with the same gestures and meaning for "No" is very common in Arab countries

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

In the Middle East, or the entire Arab World?

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DarkFuryKH@reddit

Hmm it's a hard question to answer to be honest. I am pretty sure it's common in the Middle East but regarding the Arab world, that includes North Africa which I am not very knowledgeable about. The only Arab people I know who surely use it in NA are Egyptians

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gbphx@reddit

This is most definitely a thing in Sicily.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Is it exactly the same?

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norinme@reddit

I come from Lecce, in Salento (the heel of the boot of Italy) and it's exactly the same here. We have towns here part of the "Grecìa salentina" where older people speak an ancient greek dialect. I suppose this way of saying "no" is only limited to the "magna graecia" part of Italy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magna_Graecia

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vivix111@reddit

I am from Rome, and even if it's not that widespread, it's common enough that I doubt anyone would have issues understanding it even if not everyone uses it. Older generations used it more, I think.

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

I've been to Lecce, and visited the Greek towns of Calabria (not Salento). It's so similar to Greece It's almost comical.

You do the entire gesture? Nod, eyebrow lift, eyeroll?

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norinme@reddit

Yes, everything. I don't live in Lecce anymore so I don't do it in my everyday life, but my family does it exactly like this.

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gbphx@reddit

Compared to the video it sounds less like a kiss because it's articulated on the alveolar ridge (the part of the palate close to the teeth). However, I'm assuming the guy in the video is not Greek and struggling with the sound, am I correct?

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

Yes he's struggling, we don't use our lips at all.

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dont_tread_on_M@reddit

Yes

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Sweaty-Clock2007@reddit

Same in izmir 🇹🇷

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ilunga-naa@reddit

That is Turkish, Greek sounds like "tsouki".

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freddo_expresso@reddit (OP)

It exists in Portugal, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, and Iran.

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ilunga-naa@reddit

Brother I was kidding.

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Proof-Ad62@reddit

It's because in summer it gets too hot to move your head a lot.

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Opposite-Ad-9719@reddit

Yes in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine

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mistressofthering@reddit

🇬🇷🇷🇸

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Sufficient_Eye5804@reddit

In Dalmatia, Croatia, we also use that “Tc” with a shake of the head for negation.

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tatariko@reddit

Exactly same in Turkey too

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Weissenburg_21@reddit

Yeah it does. It's often used.

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Glittery_Marshmallow@reddit

Nope, just the sound. The head for "no" is left to right. Not upwards.

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xlondelax@reddit

There's a similar sound in Slovenia, "tsk." It doesn't sound like a kiss, it's not made made with mouth, but with the front part of palate.

One tsk, usually followed with a sigh is used to show disappointment, "not that again," "just another thing ti drive me crazy" or to show annoyance when things refuse to cooperate.

Two tsks with the snake of head are rejection, "no" or "this time doesn't suit me," or " not possible." It also the sound od disapproval over somebody's actions.

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