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Comment by gavanm | Hacker News Reader

I find that if you lead with the thumb-as-1 - then I can't use my little finger held down for 4.

I naturally use my thumb to hold down the other fingers leading with index-as-1.

I'm not sure what the thumb-as-1 does for 4 though.

Since the thumb is the first digit on the hand (depending on the way you go) I can see it being a logical choice - but not necessarily the most convenient once you get to 4.

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I just tested different ways of displaying numbers with fingers and the most comfortable way is to start with the pinky finger and then go in order from there. But I guess the downside to that is a raised pinky isn't as clear as a raised index finger or thumb due to it being so short.

I feel like it's important whether you're tallying things, or presenting a quantity by hand gestures, for example to a bartender. Then 1 is a single index finger raised, with the thumb and other fingers pinched together. 2 the same, but also long finger. For 3, I would use the ring finger, and similarly for 4, using the pinky.

However, if I was tallying, I'd do thumb, index, long, ring, pinky. I have a Chinese colleague, and he always goes pinky, ring, long, thumb.

If I count things, I tend to extend the thumb first, then the index finger, then the long finger, etc. This I think naturally leads you to make 3 by extending the thumb, index and long finger.

That's OK, but can you then extend the ring finger but not the pinky to make a 4? For me it's almost impossible.

Fairly easily yeah, on either hand

For that reason I always count as \.... \\... \\|.. .\|// \\|//, if that makes any sense to you.

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