Tubercular dactylitis is a rare manifestation of skeletal tuberculosis in the paediatric population. Its clinical diagnosis is often delayed as local symptoms may easily be missed in children and constitutional features such as loss of weight, loss of appetite, night sweats, evening rise of temperature and history of close contact with a patient of tuberculosis may not always be present. Parents seek treatment only when they notice significant swelling or tenderness of fingers or hand in their children. Radiology and fine-needle aspiration cytology may help in establishing an early diagnosis. Astute multidrug antitubercular therapy is curative.