Vulcan salute š
A raised hand, palm out, with the fingers parted in two pairs between the middle and ring fingers. It is Spockās greeting in Star Trek, said with āLive long and prosperā. Leonard Nimoy took it from the priestly blessing in an Orthodox synagogue.
How to read it
Unicodeās chart gives the š emoji (U+1F596) the name RAISED HAND WITH PART BETWEEN MIDDLE AND RING FINGERS and the alias Vulcan salute. It first appeared in āAmok Timeā, the opening episode of Star Trekās second season, when Spock visits Vulcan. In his 1977 autobiography I Am Not Spock, quoted by MeTV, Nimoy wrote that the greeting came from his Orthodox Jewish background: it is the hand used by the Kohanim, the priests, when they bless the congregation at the High Holiday services.
Also searched as: š, live long and prosper, Spock hand sign, Star Trek hand sign, Vulcan greeting, Vulcan hand sign.
A gestureās meaning changes from place to place and over time. These pages give the meanings recorded by the researchers, reporters and guides they cite, as of October 2026, and are reviewed yearly.
In the synagogue
The blessing differs from Spockās greeting. Rabbi Howard Morrison of Beth Emeth Synagogue in Toronto told Lindsay Traves, writing for StarTrek.com, that the Kohanim use both hands, thumbs joined, to make the Hebrew letter shin, where Spock uses one. Nimoy read the hand shape as shin, the first letter of Shaddai, a name of God. Congregants are not supposed to look while the Kohanim bless them, the rabbi said; as a boy, Nimoyās father told him not to look, and he peeked.
Not everyone can make it
Splitting the fingers takes practice. Celia Lovsky, who played the Vulcan minister TāPau, could not make the sign and had her fingers taped together for filming. Nimoy wrote that thousands of fans had picked it up, and that he was greeted with it wherever he travelled.
Read next
- Next in Hand gesturesPinched fingers š¤An Italian gesture: the thumb and all four fingertips pressed together and pointed up, often shaken from the wrist. In Italy it asks āwhat do you want?ā or āwhat are you saying?ā, usually in disbelief or annoyance. š¤ is its emoji.
- The same shape in Logic symbolsTurnstile (ā¢)ā¢, the turnstile, means āprovesā or āderivesā. Ī ā¢ Ļ says that Ļ can be proved from the premises Ī using the rules of a proof system.
More hand gestures
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines.
Sources
- Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs (code chart), The Unicode Standard, Version 18.0, Unicode Consortium, U+1F596
- The Jewish origins of the Vulcan salute, Lindsay Traves, reprinted from StarTrek.com, The Canadian Jewish News, article
- Leonard Nimoy reveals the secret origins of the Vulcan salute, MeTV, quoting Leonard Nimoy, I Am Not Spock (1977), MeTV, article, quoting I Am Not Spock
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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