Hand seals

are used to perform many Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and other secret arts other than Taijutsu. There are different sequences of hand seals for every technique, requiring memorization. While techniques may require a number of hand seals to work, a skilled ninja can use less or even one to perform the same technique. An example of this is the Water Release: Water Dragon Blast Technique, which requires a total of 42 hand seals to activate. Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, however, just needed to use one hand seal to complete the technique, a testament to his skill.

Basic Seals
There are twelve basic seals, each one named after an animal of the Chinese zodiac.



Other Hand seals
Besides the twelve basic hand seals, there are unique hand seals used for certain techniques. These hand seals are rarely seen, and can be considered unique to specific jutsu. Examples are the seals used for Haku's Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors, the seal used for the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Switch Technique, the seal used for the Shadow Clone Technique, and the seal used for Senjutsu training.