Dictionary
american sign language dictionary
All signs137
Make a fist and run your thumb straight up the side of it.
The thumb rides alongside the fist — never tucked inside it.
Four fingers straight up and pressed together, thumb folded flat across your palm.
Think of a flat paddle with the thumb hidden behind it.
Curve all four fingers and your thumb into the shape of a C, palm to the side.
Leave a gap you could post a coin through.
Index finger straight up; the other three curl down to meet your thumb.
The thumb and middle finger make the loop of the letter d.
Curl all four fingertips down so they rest on top of your folded thumb.
Unlike S, the thumb stays low and the fingertips sit on it.
Touch your thumb and index fingertips into a circle; middle, ring and pinky stay straight up.
Same shape as the number 9.
Point your index finger sideways with your thumb held parallel just below it.
Like measuring an inch — but the fingers stay flat, not pinched.
Index and middle fingers straight and stacked together, pointing sideways.
H is U turned on its side.
Pinky straight up, everything else closed into a fist.
Start in the I handshape, then trace a J in the air with your pinky.
The hook curves toward your body, exactly like writing a j.
Index and middle fingers up in a V, thumb pressed into the gap between them.
Index finger up, thumb straight out sideways — a right angle.
Your hand literally spells the letter.
Fold your thumb into your palm and lay three fingers over it.
Three fingers on top for m — count the humps in the letter.
Curve every finger down to meet your thumb in a round O.
Look through the hole — you should see a circle, not a slot.
The K handshape rotated to point downward.
K and P are the same hand; only the wrist changes.
The G handshape rotated to point downward.
The descender of the letter q points at the floor.
Cross your index finger over your middle finger and hold them up.
The crossed-fingers "good luck" hand.
A tight fist with your thumb wrapped across the front of your fingers.
The thumb crosses the middle of the fingers — in E it sits lower, under the tips.
Make a fist with your thumb poking up between your index and middle fingers.
Index and middle fingers straight up and spread into a V.
Index, middle and ring fingers up and spread; thumb holds your pinky down.
Three fingers up — same shape as the number 6.
Hook your index finger like a crooked finger; everything else stays closed.
A fishhook, not a straight point.
Every finger curves down to meet your thumb — the same round shape as the letter O.
Index finger straight up, thumb folded across the other fingers.
Index and middle fingers up and spread — the same as the letter V.
Thumb, index and middle fingers up; ring and pinky folded down.
ASL counts three with the thumb, not the ring finger.
Four fingers up and spread, thumb folded across your palm.
Open hand, all five fingers spread wide.
Thumb touches your pinky; index, middle and ring stay up — the letter W shape.
Thumb touches your ring finger; index, middle and pinky stay up.
Thumb touches your middle finger; index, ring and pinky stay up.
Thumb touches your index finger; middle, ring and pinky stay up — the letter F shape.
Point your index finger at your own chest.
Pronouns in ASL are literally pointing. You already know how to do this.
Point your index finger straight ahead, at the person you are talking to.
Pointing is grammar here, not rudeness.
A flat open hand laid on your chest.
Me is a point; my is a palm. The flat hand is possession.
Both hands open, palms up, shaken slightly — a shrug in your hands.
Raise your eyebrows. In ASL the face carries the question, not the word order.
Index finger straight up, shaken quickly side to side.
One finger, small fast shake — and eyebrows down for a WH-question.
A hooked index finger by your forehead, flicking up straight.
The lightbulb going on, at the place where thinking happens.
A curved hand flips over and taps into your other open palm.
The single most useful sign you can know as a beginner.
One flat hand drawn slowly up the back of the other.
Sign it slowly. The speed is part of the meaning.
One flat palm slides across the other, as if wiping it clean.
Pairs with MEET-YOU to make "nice to meet you".
Thumb tip on your chin, index finger shaking bent and straight — eyebrows down.
Pairs with WHAT and WHERE; the face marks it as a WH-question.
Thumb, index and pinky out together — the letters I, L and Y stacked into one hand.
The most recognised handshape in ASL, and one of the few that needs no movement at all.
A flat hand at your forehead, fingers together, swept out and away like a salute.
Start at the temple, finish out to the side.
Both index fingers point at each other and move together — fingertips stay apart.
Pairs with NICE to make "nice to meet you".
Open hand up, wave side to side at the wrist — the same gesture hearing people use when leaving.
Make an S fist and nod it up and down at the wrist, like a head saying yes.
The fist is the head; the wrist is the neck.
Index and middle fingers snap down onto your thumb, like a beak closing once.
Flat hand, fingers together, touching your chin then moving forward toward the person.
It starts where the words come from, and travels to whoever earned them.
Flat hand on your chest, circling once, clockwise from your point of view.
An A fist on your chest, circling.
Same circle as please, but with a closed hand.
An A fist resting on your flat open palm, both lifted together.
One hand literally gives the other a lift.
Both hands in flat O shapes, fingertips tapping together twice.
Fingertips and thumb gathered into a point, tapping your lips.
A C hand tilted toward your mouth, as though holding a glass.
The W handshape tapped twice against your chin.
Many ASL drink words are initialised — the letter tells you which drink.
Two H hands — index and middle straight and together — crossed and tapped twice.
Gather from your other flat open palm and lift to your forehead, closing as you go.
Two hooked index fingers linked together, then swapped over.
The hooks interlock — that is the whole idea of the sign.
A flat blade hand chopping down onto your other open palm.
A flat hand moving down from your chin into your other open palm.
Both open hands facing you, flicked outward once.
One of the most-used signs in ASL — it marks the past tense.
A straight index finger touching near your ear, then near your mouth.
Both index fingers extended, circling alternately toward you.
The sign for signing looks like two hands taking turns to speak.
Open hand, thumb tip on your chin — tap once or twice.
The chin marks feminine kinship signs; the forehead marks masculine ones.
Open hand, thumb tip on your forehead — tap once or twice.
Both arms together as if holding an infant, rocking gently back and forth.
Think of cradling a newborn — the overlap is the whole sign.
Both F hands trace a circle in front of you, as if around a dinner table.
Both Y hands, palms up, move down a few inches in front of you.
Both Y hands, palms up — the sign for now, moved twice.
Two drops of NOW mean today when you are answering a when-question.
A fist with thumb up, thumb tip at your cheek, arcing forward.
A fist with thumb up, thumb tip at your cheek, arcing back toward your ear.
Index finger of one hand sliding forward across your other flat open palm.
Both open hands palms up, pulled toward you and closing into claws.
An X hand in front of you bends downward at the wrist.
Middle finger and thumb extended near your chest, brought together as the hand moves forward.
Both bent hands a few inches from your chest, pulled back to touch it.
Both index fingers trace a short arc forward away from you.
Both S fists palm-down — the dominant taps the side of the other wrist twice.
Like hammering — the wrist is the nail.
Flat hand at your cheek, moves an inch toward your ear and touches again.
Where you eat and sleep — the movement stays on the cheek.
Flat dominant hand tapped down onto your other flat palm twice, like a quiet clap.
Open hand at your forehead — grab the brim of an imaginary cap and close your fingers.
Masculine signs sit at the forehead, like father. The hand closes as if tipping a cap.
A-hand at your chin — trace along your jaw with your thumb, from ear toward chin.
Feminine signs sit at the chin, like mother. The thumb rides the jawline like a bonnet string.
Touch your forehead with your fingers, then pull your hand forward and down into the letter Y.
Eyebrows down — your face marks it as a WH-question, same as who and where.
Both curved hands, knuckles touching, roll forward until your palms face up.
Eyebrows down — same WH-question face as who, what, and where.
Hold one index finger up; circle the tip of your other index finger around it and touch.
Eyebrows down for a WH-question.
Flat hand, fingertips touching the side of your forehead.
Same zone as think — but a flat hand, not one finger.
Index finger touches your forehead — start an inch away, then touch.
Both flat hands in front of your chest, palms toward you, circling upward.
Your face sells it — flat hands alone are not enough.
Both hands in front of your face, palms in, dragging down.
Open hand on your chest — thumb tip touches twice.
Knuckle of your index finger against your cheek, pivoting back and forth.
C hand in front of you, closing twice into a fist.
C hand moving down the middle of your chest.
Loose C hand on your other palm — press down, lift, twist, and press again.
Both flat hands with fingertips pointing forward — the dominant on top forms the roof over the other.
Not HOME: house is the building; home is where you belong. Different signs.
Both flattened O hands pointing down, as if holding a sheet of paper — pivot them forward twice.
Flat non-dominant palm out like a seat — bent dominant hand taps onto it twice, as if sitting down.
The noun CHAIR uses a smaller double movement; SIT is the same path once.
Open F hand at your cheek — thumb and index spread — pull out to the side and close into an F.
Whiskers start at the cheek and finish as a normal F hand.
Both S fists in front of you, pushed downward about six inches.
Flattened O hand in front of your face, palm toward you — move down toward your chin as your fingers curl inward.
T hand palm facing away from you — shake it side to side a couple of times.
Both flat hands palms together in front of you — open them apart twice, like opening a book.
Strike your open palm with the back of your other flat hand twice — only the top hand moves.
Index and middle fingertips on your other flat palm, sliding across as if scanning lines on a page.
Index fingertip on your thumb, scribbling across your other open palm.
V hand in front of your face, palm facing you — fingers point toward what you saw.
Palm in, not out — that is the LOOK sign.
V hand palm facing out — aim it toward what you want someone to look at.
Palm out, not in — that is the SEE sign.
Index finger at your ear — tap twice.
DEAF touches ear and mouth; HEAR stays at the ear.
Flattened O in your dominant hand — smack it onto your other open palm twice.
Flattened O above your other open palm — brush forward off the palm as if handing over money.
Index fingertip on a coin in your other open palm — flick it forward to the person you are paying.
Both open hands above you, fingers spread — wiggle them downward like falling drops.
Flattened O near your forehead — circle once, then open it as your hand drops an inch.
Claw hand at your mouth — pull it outward and downward quickly.
Both S fists in front of you — shake your arms as if shivering.
Both hands pinch the fabric at your upper chest — tug outward a couple of times.
Two hands avoids confusing shirt with volunteer.
Both S fists — tap the backs together twice, gently.
Both open hands raised to the side — wiggle your fingers.
Both A hands in front of you, palms facing — press them together.
Not SHOES — heels of the hands meet; wrists stay apart.
Both bent L hands in front of you, palms facing each other — pull them apart.
The index fingers bend; straight L hands would be the initialized English sign.
Both flat hands in front of you, palms facing — bring them together quickly.
Y hand at your ear — a small double movement, like holding a handset.
Not HEAR — thumb and pinky stay out; the index and middle stay curled.
Y hand at your chin — twist it across your jaw.
Not WHO — the whole Y handshape stays out, not just a wiggling index.
Flat hand fingertips at your lips — pull down and away, palm ending downward.
Not HOT — flat fingers, not a claw.
Both flat hands pressed together at the side of your head, as if on a pillow.
Not HOME — two hands together, not one flat hand on the cheek.
Make the letter B and shake it gently from side to side.
B for blue. Same trick for green, yellow and purple.
Make the letter G — index and thumb parallel, pointing sideways — and shake it.
Make the letter Y — thumb and pinky out — and twist it at the wrist.
Make the letter P — the K hand turned to point down — and shake it.
Draw your index finger down from your lips, like tracing them.
Not initialised — red points at the reddest thing on your face.
Draw your index finger sideways across your forehead.
An open hand on your chest, pulling away and closing to a flat O.
what this is not
A complete ASL dictionary would run to thousands of signs, regional variants, and grammar that still images cannot hold. This page lists only the 137 signs in ASL that signLingo actually ships — the same list translate and practice draw from. Signs we left out of the course because they collide or do not grade reliably are not here either. For the rest, learn from Deaf teachers.
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