Akanbe

Akanbe (Japanese: あかんべえ, あっかんべえ and あかんべえよ) is a Japanese facial gesture indicating sarcasm but also used as a taunt, especially by children. It consists of someone pulling down one's lower eyelid to expose the red underside towards someone, often accompanied by the person sticking their tongue out.

A man making the gesture

The word "akanbe" is also used as an interjection, generally expressing disapproval or displeasure. It can be used as a noun, describing a pest who meddles in other people's affairs.

In addition, akanbe is a technique in image composition for animating the hand gesture of a character in anime, comics, or manga. It involves making a character raise their index finger to their eye and making a V-shaped mouth with their lips. This technique is commonly used by characters in the medium when they are angry, surprised, or in disbelief.

See also

• Eyelid pull