Sign Emotions in American Sign Language
Learning how to sign feelings can help you to communicate with others. Maybe it's with a Deaf person, or a nonverbal child, or you just want to teach your baby a few signs before they can speak. And luckily, many of the signs described below are iconic, which makes them easy to remember!
Steps
- Follow these steps to communicate feelings using American Sign Language:
- To sign surprised:
- Make your hands into a fist with your thumb on top of your fist--this is referred to as the 's' hand-shape-- and hold them up to your cheeks, near your eyes.
- Move your hands slightly away from your face and flick your index fingers outwards and upwards. This signifies the way your face looks when you are surprised.
- To sign hope: Hold your hands vertically, with one hand nearer to your head than the other, with the sides of your hands facing you. It should be made into the 'modified bent hand' position.
- Bend your fingers twice towards the palm of your hand as if you were waving.
- To sign shy: Make a 'thumbs up' sign with one hand--this is also the number ten in ASL.
- Turn it sideways and place the side without your thumb on your cheek.
- Move your fist forwards and backwards slightly.
- Turn it sideways and place the side without your thumb on your cheek.
- To sign love: Make your hands into fists.
- Cross your arms over your chest in an 'x' shape.
- To sign happy: Keep your hand (or two hands, many people do either method) flat and hold it up to your chest horizontally. Your palm should be facing inward.
- Move it upward a few times.
- To sign excited: Spread your fingers apart, close to your chest.
- Point your middle fingers inwards toward you, still keeping your fingers spread apart--the middle fingers will be facing you, the others will face outward.
- Flick each hand, one at a time up off your chest a couple times, making sure that only your middle finger is actually touching your chest. The movement of each hand will almost look circular.
- To sign stressed: Make a fist with one hand and turn it on its side.
- Take your other hand and lay it flat on the top of the fist, in a modified '5' handshape.
- Move the hand on top downward so that it pushes the fist down.
- Take your other hand and lay it flat on the top of the fist, in a modified '5' handshape.
- To sign sad: With your fingers spread out, hold your hands vertically in front of your face.
- Slowly let them go downward.
- To sign disappointed: Make a 'd' sign with one of your hands.
- Place your index finger on your chin.
- To sign hurt: Make two 'g' signs and point them toward each other.
- Turn one of your hands in half a circle forwards and backwards as the other hand turns the opposite direction as the first hand.
- To sign bored: Make one hand into a 'd' sign.
- Turn it back and forth once or twice.
- To sign shame: Keep your hands flat and your fingers together.
- Place the back of the hand on your cheek and flick it out.
- To sign guilt: Make a 'g' sign and hold it on the side of your chest near the opposite arm.
- To sign frustration: Make a 'b' sign, place it in front of you near your neck, and push your hand forward like you are pushing something away that you do not want.
- Alternatively, you could make the 'b' sign and tap the back of your hand against your face twice.
- To sign envy: Make a '4' sign.
- Tilt it a little over to the side and put your index finger next to your mouth.
- Slide your hand downward.
- To sign doubt:
- Make a 'thumbs up' sign and turn it sideways.
- Make small circles going forward with the sideways thumbs up.
- Tilt it a little over to the side and put your index finger next to your mouth.
- To sign worry:
- Hold your hands flat and keep your fingers together.
- Hold them next to your eyes with them facing downward.
- Move them up and down in small motions.
- To sign fear:
- Keep your hands flat and spread your fingers apart.
- Hold your hands up to your chest.
- Shake them from side to side, almost like you are shaking in fear.
- To sign embarrassed:
- Keep your hands flat and hold them up to your face.
- Slightly move them back and forth.
- Hold your hands flat and keep your fingers together.
- To sign disgust/disgusted: Make your hand into a loose claw shape
- Move your hand in circles in the middle of your chest.
- To sign bother/annoy: Keep your fingers together but stick your thumb out. Do this with both hands.
- Turn one hand on its side.
- Take the other hand and, with the side of the little finger, tap in between the thumb and index finger on the other hand a couple of times.
- To sign mad: Make your hand into a clawing position.
- Place your hand over your mouth and nose or just your mouth.
- To sign anger: Make your hands into clawing positions.
- Place them onto your chest.
- Flick your hands to the sides.
Tips
- Find others to practice with! Actually speaking a language is the best way to learn it--don't simply sign to yourself in the mirror.
Warnings
- Understand that some of these signs may change depending on your region.
Related Articles
- Make "I Love You" in Sign Language
- Fingerspell the Alphabet in American Sign Language
- Say Platypus in Sign Language
- Learn American Sign Language
