ASL Class 1 Complete Vocab List

Animals

The fingertips touch the chest. The fingers stay straight. The hands pivot inward toward each other twice.
Memory aid: Think of the breathing of an animal.

Bird

Mouse

Fish

Snake

Cow

Horse

Rabbit

The sign for "rabbit" shows two ears flopping.
Use "U" handshapes and bend at the large knuckles twice.

Lake/River Turtle

Sea Turtle

Pig

Chick

Duck

Make bill with two fingers instead of one, indicating wider bill

Bear

Deer

Eat

Chat/hang out

Talk

Run/jog

Walk

Car running

Run a meeting

CONTROL: "administer / administration," "manage," "reign or rule over," "manipulate," or "handle.
Hint:  Think of holding the reins of a horse and "controlling" or "managing" the horse's movements.
Alternate pulling back on the reins. The hands alternate sliding forward and back.

Running Water

LEAK - Left hand up with pointer finger out. Four fingers out on right hand. Have pointer fingers touch. Move right hand down, then back up to touch and down again.

Ran out of gas

Escape

Running Nose

Spring Break

Spring +

Broke (money)

place flat, slightly bent hands against your neck and making a swift, chopping motion against each side

Broke-up

hands together with fingers touching in O, then spread apart into Fs

Pencil Break

Fists together then break apart like snapping a pencil

Car Broke Down

then fingers collapse down, arms stay up/dont move

Break Time

Inside

movement twice

Outside

Sick

To sign "sick," hold modified five hands (with the middle finger bent at the large knuckle) a few inches from the forehead and stomach. Then bring both hands inward to contact the body.

House

Home

If you mean "home" as in "domicile" (or a fairly permanent residence) a fairly common version is made by bringing your fingers and thumb together and touching your cheek near the side of your mouth. Then move your hand an inch or two toward your ear and touch your cheek again.

Hot

Use a "claw" handshape. Move it outward and downward from your mouth. Do it quickly.  The stronger and faster the movement, the hotter the temperature.
Memory aid: Imagine trying to remove a piece of hot caramel apple that is sticking in your mouth.

Cold

The sign for "cold" means "cold temperature."  It doesn't mean "to have a head-cold" or to be sick. Use your arms to represent shivering.

Warm

The sign for "warm" starts in the same handshape as the sign for FOOD. It is a "modified O" hand.  Think of your warm breath rising upward in the wintertime. 

Snack

Two fingers pointed towards mouth, bend at joint and flex out twice

Popcorn

The sign for "popcorn" uses modified "X" hands. You put the thumbnail of the index finger on the pad of the thumb and then you move your hand upward and flick the index finger as if it were a kernel of corn "popping." First one hand and then the next.

Bed

can also just use the “sleep” sign of hands next to your tilted head

Human

Human is signed a lot like body, so be careful not to get the two confused. To sign human, form both hands into the ASL letter H sign, and proceed to touch the shoulders then the hips with both hands in sync.

Flamingo

Two fingers pointing down, pull one up like a flamingo is standing on one leg

Frog

To do the sign for "frog," hold an "S"-hand (or a modified "S" hand) below your chin.  Flick the index and middle fingers into a "V" hand.  Repeat.

Llama

Dolphin

This sign moves from right to left.  The index finger stays straight at the knuckle and the hand moves in a graceful arc as if showing a dolphin slicing through the water.

Shark

Farm

A good way to remember the sign farm is to think of a farmer wiping his or her chin.

Stay

The sign for "stay" uses a palm-down "Y" handshape.  The movement is more of a forward thrust than a downward slap.  You are shoving the knuckles forward and a bit down. Memory aid: Think of telling a dog to "stay."

Prefer/Favorite

 Note: the middle finger "jabs" into the chin (gently) it doesn't stroke the chin -- it pokes (jabs) twice similar to the motion of tapping the spacebar on a computer.

Week

Weekend

100

“1” then “C”

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Just your middle finger moves

24

25

Just your middle finger moves

26

27

28

29

30

33

This number uses a downward movement that bounces up and arcs over to the right and down again.

44

55

66

77

88

99

Swimming

Camp/camping

In the sign for "camp" you show a "tent" with your hands. Use a small double movement.
The tips of the index finger, pinkie, and thumb touch, move apart slightly, and touch again.

Hiking

To sign "Hiking" in American Sign Language (ASL), two-handed "claw-3" hands (handshape), palms down (orientation), hands apart in space - one ahead the other (location), move forward, alternating twice (movement).

Baseball

To sign "baseball" just pretend you are holding a bat and take a couple of mini-swings.

Soccer

Football

The sign for "football" holds the fingers up as if representing two opposing scrimmage lines ramming together at the hut. Use a double movement. (Ram twice.)

Basketball

The sign for "basketball" is done with curved-3-hands. Some people do the "basketball" sign with "5" handshapes.  But the "3" handshape version is more popular amongst native Deaf adults.
Make two quick throwing movements.

Hockey

The sign for "hockey" uses an "X" handshape to represent a hockey stick. Imagine you have a pea sized hockey puck on your left palm and your right hand (if you are right-handed) bent index finger is a hockey stick. Use the "hockey stick" to knock the puck backward twice.

Volleyball

Hold your hands up with the middle fingers touching the thumbs. Thrust your hands forward and upward while changing your handshape to "flat hands" or "five hands." Repeat.

Movie

Do-do (“What are you doing?”)

Busy

“Busy” is signed by forming a “B” hand, palm facing out, with the bottom of the dominant hand in contact with the edge of the non-dominant hand, quickly moving sideways a few times

Game

The sign for "game" uses "A" hands (the thumb can be loose).
Bring the hands together twice.

Questionmark

Start with an index-finger handshape, move your hand toward the person being asked, and change your handshape into an "X"-hand (pointed toward that person at a loose angle).

Past

The sign for "past" is made by moving your dominant hand over your dominant shoulder.  Your palm should face your body. The more emphasis you give the motion and/or the larger movement you use indicates further into the past

Future

The sign for "future" is made by slicing a "flat hand" forward through the air.  The farther you move your hand, the further into the the future you are referring.  This sign can also mean such things as "WILL" as in, "Will you go to college?" (YOU FUTURE COLLEGE YOU?).  You can also use a double arching movement to mean "someday" or "the distant future."  If you do a single large strong movement it can mean "a long time from now."

Dessert

“D” hands horizontal to ground, tap twice

Snack