expression, godan verb (-mu)
write 'person' on hand and pretend to swallow to calm nerves
A traditional Japanese technique for calming nerves: one writes the kanji 人 on their palm three times and mimics swallowing it. Often taught to children or used before performances.
緊張したときは、手のひらに人を三回書いて飲むといいよ。
When you're nervous, it helps to write the kanji for 'person' on your palm three times and pretend to swallow it.
Before my speech, I calmed down by doing the 'swallowing a person' technique.