Auspicious signindianuncommon

Barleycorn

जौ · jau / यव · yava

Also called: Jau · Yava · Grain of barley

Where on the hand: Anywhere on the palm or thumb; Dale makes the reading depend on location without fixing one.

What it looks like: A small pointed oval, like a grain of barley — a lens shape tapering to a point at both ends.

Dale: “happiness, intellectual prowess, or honourable marriage,” depending on location.

On each line

**Any line** — the yava sits on or beside a line as a small pointed oval; Dale gives the reading by location rather than by line.
**Distinguish from an island** — an island is formed by the parent line splitting and rejoining and is always a defect; the yava is a free-standing pointed oval and is auspicious.
**Distinguish from a circle** — a circle is a true round ring; the yava tapers to points.

On each mount

**Any mount** — the mount supplies which of the three readings applies: happiness, intellectual prowess, or honourable marriage.
**Thumb** — the yava is classically associated with the thumb in Indian practice, where an island at the base or first phalanx is also read as prosperity and happiness.
**No fixed table** — Dale deliberately leaves the reading location-dependent.

Where it is positive

**Everywhere it occurs** — the barleycorn has no negative reading.
**Its three registers** — happiness, intellectual prowess, honourable marriage.
**Its risk** — because the shape resembles an island, misidentification could turn an auspicious sign into a defect or vice versa.

Read with care: RECONCILED. Two conflicts stood here. (1) Identification: the yava and the island are the same closed oval; what differs is position, not shape. The claim that 'an island is formed by the parent line splitting and the yava is free-standing' was the error. (2) Valence: 'the barleycorn has no negative reading anywhere' is wrong — the same oval is auspicious on the thumb and inauspicious on a mount or line (Jupiter: career damaged by relatives; Saturn: misfortune, disease; Mercury: job instability; Mars: cowardice; Venus: a missed marriage; Moon: weakened imagination). Position decides. On the thumb, sources also disagree on the phalanx — the second (lower) phalanx, where the two flexure creases bow apart and rejoin, is anatomically the position described.

Happiness, intellectual prowess, or honourable marriageMrs. J. B. Dale, Indian Palmistry

PalmistryAI

Barleycorn

On each line

On each mount

Where it is positive

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Barleycorn

On each line

On each mount

Where it is positive

Read next