In Plains Indian Sign Language, the gesture signifies the number 3 when held a bit lower than the signs used to represent the sun. Regional forms of finger counting used in China also employ the raised middle, ring and pinky fingers to express the number 3, either with thumb and index fingers joined as they are in the OK gesture or in a similar configuration. This number gesture is primarily used in China's southern provinces, while in the north, '3' may also be expressed by the raised index, middle, and ring fingers as it is in English-speaking countries. Both methods are distinct from having the thumb, index and middle fingers extended as is used to denote '3' in much of mainland Europe, because this represents the number 8 in both Taiwan and parts of mainland China.