Finger or thumbbothuniversal

Little Finger (Mercury)

कनिष्ठा / कनिष्ठिका · Kanishtha(ka) ("the smallest")

Found on nearly every hand

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Also called: Fourth finger · Finger of Mercury · Budh finger

Where on the hand: The outermost finger on the percussion edge, rising above the Mount of Mercury.

What it looks like: Should reach the top crease of the ring finger's first phalange — that is, to the base of Apollo's nail phalange. Reaching past that line is Mercury strength; falling well short is Mercury weakness.

Mercury governs speech, commerce, science, cunning, intuition, sexuality, writing and negotiation. A long, straight, well-set little finger gives fluent speech and business sense; a short or low-set one makes livelihood a struggle and speech difficult, though it often redirects the gift into writing.

Length

**Passing the nail joint of the ring finger** — Cheiro: eloquence and persuasive speech.
**Short** — difficulty in speaking, but often better ability in writing; also a short temper and low self-confidence.
**Long and crooked** — deceit.

Lean and shape

**Slightly crooked** — Indian sources treat a slight curve as desirable: adaptability and tact in relationships. Excessive straightness reads as inflexibility with partners.
**Strongly bent or twisted and long** — Cheiro: natural liars, prone to fabrication.
**Bent forward over the ring finger** — secretiveness within partnerships and marriage.
**Sharp kink at the tip** — early family problems.
**Nail phalange bent outward** — a keen sense of hearing; intellectual.

Set

**Low-set Mercury** (very common) — the finger appears stunted; Mercury's gifts of speech, commerce and negotiation are hard to access; "the person has to struggle hard to earn his livelihood".
**Low-set Mercury with low-set Jupiter** — lacking both self-confidence and self-esteem; progress demands much greater struggle.

When Mercury dominates

**The type** — the merchant, scientist, writer, orator, diplomat.
**In excess** — long and crooked gives deceit.

Marks on it

**Vertical lines** — strong communication aptitude, heightened intuition.
**Horizontal lines** — communication or business difficulty; fear of speaking.
**Star** — the mark of the successful public speaker.

Western reading: Cheiro measures eloquence by whether the little finger passes the ring finger's nail joint.

Found on

Mount of Mercury

PalmistryAI

Little Finger (Mercury)

Length

Lean and shape

Set

When Mercury dominates

Marks on it

Found on

Read next

Little Finger (Mercury)

Length

Lean and shape

Set

When Mercury dominates

Marks on it

Found on

Read next