Money arriving
The right hand receives, so an itch means a payment, a win or a gift is on its way.
Body superstition
Itchy right palm
An itchy right palm means money is coming — or, in an older version, that you are about to shake hands with a stranger. First recorded: Roman era; palm and hand omens appear in classical sources. That makes it around 2,000 years old — joint 15th oldest of the 45 superstitions we have dated.
- Earliest record
- Roman era see the history below
When it actually starts
How old is this one
First recorded
Roman era; palm and hand omens appear in classical sources
That makes it
around 2,000 years old
Rank by age
Joint 15th oldest of 45 dated here
Category
Body
The right hand is the greeting and receiving hand in most European custom — the hand that is shaken and the hand that takes payment. An itch there was read as something about to arrive: money, or a meeting that begins with a handshake.
14 of the dated superstitions here were written down earlier and 18 later, while 12 share its date.
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The versions people follow
What exactly is believed
Meeting a stranger
An older reading says you will soon shake hands with someone you have not met.
Luck for men
In some Hindu traditions the right side is lucky for men in particular.
Rub it in your pocket
Rubbing the palm in a pocket is said to "put the money away" so it stays.
Where it lives today
An itchy right palm is often mentioned jokingly before buying a lottery ticket or waiting for a bonus.
What people say
An itchy right palm means money is coming — or, in an older version, that you are about to shake hands with a stranger.What is going on
For right-handed people the right palm handles more of everything, so contact irritation from soaps, tools and sanitizer shows up there first. Dry winter air and frequent hand-washing are the usual causes of an itch without a rash.Where it applies. Reversed in parts of the Caribbean, where the right palm means money leaving, and read by gender in some Hindu traditions, where the right palm is lucky for men.
Nearest in age
Itchy right palm is joint 15th oldest of the 45 dated superstitions here. Of those, 3 date from 1900 or later and 14 predate the common era.
First-recorded dates are the earliest documented appearance in written sources, not the earliest possible origin — an unrecorded practice can be older. How the dating works and where it is uncertain →
Cite this page
AstroHot. “Itchy Right Palm Superstition: Origin and Meaning.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/superstitions/itchy-right-palm/
For Wikipedia
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