How many fingers do humans actually have?

Question

My friends and family always told me that my thumb and pinky aren't fingers. Are they?

Answer 1

Some people consider the thumb to be a finger, some not due to it's different nature (1 knuckle, the way it can move). I have no idea why anyone would assume the pinkie is not a finger. The ring finger is the least like the others not including the thumb, as it can not be fully extended by itself (that is you can't put it out all the way without putting one next to it up at least part way.

Any way, general rule is that some people say 5 fingers per hand, some say 4. It's sort of personal choice.

Answer 2

Dictionary def of finger: 1 : any of the five terminating members of the hand : a digit of the forelimb; especially : one other than the thumb. So they are somewhat right in that the thumb is usually called the thumb and others are called the finger (i.e., ring finger, index finger, etc.). But they are just wrong about the pinky I'd say. Clearly though, humans generally have five fingers on each hand, as the thumb is a special kind of finger.

Answer 3

That just depends on how you count them. Personally I say I have 8 fingers and 2 thumbs, and do include pinkies as fingers. Though when counting on my "fingers" I go all the way up to 10.

Interestingly, medically there is not a different name for fingers and toes - they are all phalanges!

Answer 4

I hate when people say that. Of course your thumb and pinky are fingers. Every finger has a name. Your thumb, your index, your middle, your ring, and your pinky. They are all fingers. Just cause those two are the most known names people say they aren't fingers? How dumb. What are they then, toes??

Answer 5

you have *8* fingers and *2* thumbs, 10 toes. and pinkys were thought to be a deformity. but that study was disapproved.

Answer 6

depends on what you label a "finger". thumbs are quite different to fingers (a thumb has 2 phalanges (phalanges are the bones in the digits of both the hands and the feet) where as your "fingers" have 3) also, the thumb is a saddle joint (hence it is more moveable) where as the fingers are not...this joint is at the carpo-metacarpal joint (near the wrist)..

so, if they are referred to just as "digits", technically you have 20 (10 on hands 10 on feet) but by english terms, you have 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

Answer 7

Humans have 8 fingers and 2 thumbs

Answer 8

your pinkies are fingers

you have 8 fingers and 2 thumbs.

But most people just say 10 fingers

Answer 9

8, and 2 thumbs. your pinky is a finger.

Answer 10

Definitely ten. And yes, your pinky and thumb are fingers. If anybody has a dispute, you could always say "digits" instead of "fingers".