Also called: Top phalange · Mental phalange · Nail phalange

Where on the hand: The top section of each finger, from the tip down to the first crease — the one bearing the nail. Standard convention counts downward from here.

What it looks like: One of three boxes on each finger; compare its length against the other two on the same finger.

The mental world: mind, intuition, perception, spirit, ideals, ethics, foresight and discipline. Long here indicates an intellectual or spiritual orientation. Vinay Aditya's rule of thumb: intellectuals have long nail phalanges.

Read with care: One Indian source inverts the standard reading entirely, holding that an overlong upper phalange indicates weak willpower and poor decision-making. The conflict is unresolved; neither reading should be treated as settled.