ring on ring finger on a guy

there's a japanese guy who i really take to, and when i saw him the first time he was without a ring on his left ring finger. the next time i saw him, he was wearing a ring. and another time after that he was at first without a ring and then miraculously pulled the ring from his pocket and wore it and was fidgeting with it. what does this mean? is he married or not?

Well, so he HAS a ring. I would assume he is married. Some people just don't feel comfortable wearing anything on their fingers all day long. Maybe he decided that he would wear it when he gets to work, or goes outside his home.

If it looks like a wedding or engagement ring then it probably is one, though some people wear not-wedding rings on that finger (I used to).

Some people also don't wear even wedding/engagement rings all the time, and not for nefarious reasons. Personally I wear absolutely no jewelery when I am at home, and there have been occasions when I have forgotten to put them on to go out. It does not mean I am scoping for a date :)

I am always curious what country people who ask these questions are from or what their background is. Maybe some westerners are just too direct for some people.

what does this mean?

It means that sometimes he wears a ring and sometimes he does not.

is he married or not?

Maybe, maybe not.

If you really are "taken to" this guy then why don't you just ask him? You don't even have to do it directly you can just introduce it in conversation by asking other questions like "What does your wife say when you do that?". "Does your wife like these sorts of clothes/handbags?" and about a million other questions where presumably he will correct you and say he doesn't have a wife, or will just answer as per normal.