From beginners to advanced learners, discover all you need for ASL learning. For fluent and native signers, explore and master ASL and bilingualism. This website/webapp HandSpeak® is a popular, go-to online resource for sign language and Deaf culture in North America for language learning, practice, tutorials and self-study for:
college students and learners
language and culture enthusiasts
interpreters, homeschoolers
parents of deaf children and deaf/hearing babies
professionals
deaf bilinguals and codas
Handwave! I'm Jolanta, the creator of this web app/site since 1995. Very long time, yes! It has been made with endless personal volunteer time, effort, and heart. I hope you will find this sign language resource helpful with your language learning in American Sign Language.
25/30th Anniversary
🎉 HandSpeak® is marking its 25/30 year milestone. It began in the pioneering days of the early Internet and has grown through decades of change. It's fulfilling to see this web app continues to support many signers and learners. 🎉
Filter: Enter a keyword in the filter field box to see a list of available words with the "All" selection. Click on the page number if needed. Click on the blue link to look up the word. For best result, enter a partial word to see variations of the word.
Screenshot of the search dictionary
Alphabetical letters: It's useful for 1) a single-letter word (such as A, B, etc.) and 2) very short words (e.g. "to", "he", etc.) to narrow down the words and pages in the list.
Screenshot of the search dictionary
Don't forget to click "All" back when you search another word with a different initial letter.
Watch a baby sign the ASL word BANANA in the early language acquisition (handshape, location, and movement).
Sentence of the Week 🔒
To get started for a new learner, learn how to sign "How are you?".
Browse some phrases and sentences to gain insights into how grammar, structure and meaning are constructed in ASL and learn how to express them in ASL.
Video
Trivia Question
Guess what does this written phrase mean in ASL?
A) Paper work
B) Clean day
C) Good job
D) Nice day
The left handshape represents the palmed-up, left (passive) hand and the other represents the palmed-down right (dominant) hand. The line with a dot represents the movement of the dominant hand. Next digit, two symbols depict the left arm and the dominant 1-handshape with the movement line toward the dot. If you need to look up the signs NICE and DAY, see the ASL dictionary.
Guess what the ASL written word mean? Take a peek. Take me to this word.
Disclaimer [?]
Disclaimer: Written digits of the ASL words are unofficial and they may evolve over time. The purpose is for exploration and discovery only.
Grammar tip
When using a rhetorical question in ASL, raise eyebrows. Learn how to use a rh-question in sign language. Rh-question
Signed languages are distinct from spoken languages with their own grammar, structure, and vocabulary. They also include intonation (i.e. facial expressions) and encompasses every linguistic feature found in spoken languages.
"The interests of the deaf child and his parents may be best served by accepting that he is a deaf person, with an elaborate cultural and linguistic heritage that can enrich his parent life as it will his own." -- Harlan Lane
National Hobby Month
What do you do for fun? What can be a better way to start the new year than with a new hobby? Or get back into an old one that you haven't done in a while?
PHOTOGRAPHY,
PAINTING,
COOKING ...
Sign language is a natural, full-fledged language in visual-spatial modality. It has all the features of linguistics from phonology and morphology to syntax as found in spoken language. Signed languages are not a universal language; sign languages, such as British Sign Language (BSL) and French Sign Language (LSF), are distinct languages throughout the world.
American Sign Language (ASL) is the primary language of Deaf people in Deaf communities and Deaf families across the United States and Canada. It's also a fast-growing. popular second language or foreign language for hearing people in North America. Like other languages, ASL has its regional variations.
Language learning
Bilingualism has a number of cognitive benefits. Find out what benefits are for learning sign language. In addition to the benefits of bilingualism, bimodalism and Deafhood also have some extra benefits.
Where there is language, there is culture; sign language and Deaf culture are inseparable. Learning sign language and Deaf culture comes with the process of allyship along with awareness toward appreciation and away from cultural appropriation and audism (alliteration, yay!).
Deaf community comprises Deaf people, codas (children of Deaf parents), hard-of-hearing signers, and hearing signers and allies.
Linguistics
Sign language has every linguistic feature from phonology and morphology to syntax as found in spoken language. Numerous studies show that signed languages and spoken languages are equal languages, despite different modalities (visual-spatial and vocal-auditory). They function in the same linguistic regions of the brain. Language acquisition from birth to kindergarten are on the similar timeline.
Testimonials
This sign language site is one of few most reliable resources and references highly recommended by Deaf native signers, including ASL instructors.
"Even though I'm Deaf with ASL as my native language, I still use Handspeak a lot in the last few years for reference. I also frequently recommended this website to hearings/ASL students I met. It's amazing how you contributed so much, so I just want to let you know how much I appreciate that. -- Theo, 2020."
"This website is AWESOME! I always refer it to my students. -- Denise (Deaf ASL instructor), 2021"
"This website is a godsend. Your work is amazing and I just wanted to thank you. Without it, learning ASL would have been much harder. -- Le, 2021"
"I just wanted to let you know that you are the reason I've been getting A's in my ASL classes and to say thank you. I use your website multiple times a day, and it has fleshed out so much information about the language of ASL and the Deaf community. You have truly made a difference in my life!" -- Angie DiNardo, February 4, 2022.
Thank you Handspeak!! You were an invaluable resource for me during my interpreter education program. I came to the conclusion that your dictionary of signs were one of the best and I relied on it immensely.
"I have been struggling to figure out signs for my class. It was really beginning to wear down on me and I was getting nervous about how the rest of the semester will go. A problem that was haunting me was found in short order using the sign and contextual reference from the assignment. THANK YOU!!!! You have blessed me for sure! -- Nita"
"THANK YOU SO MUCH. This site is amazing. I am just learning ASL, and I keep this tab open on my computer and check in several times a day to form words and sentences. Very blessed for this incredible project of yours. -- A.S."
"Your website has helped me to learn ASL and about Deaf culture, both when I studied in University and now as I continue to practice and learn. I just wanted to express that I am so grateful for you and for handspeak.com- you are wonderful, thank you for creating this project!! -- Kat"
"Your website is a blessing! I often refer my ASL students to the tutorials on this site as an extracurricular resource when they needed help. -- a certified ASL instructor and Deaf native signer."
"... thank you for making such an important and useful resource for those of us on the path to fluency in the language and art of American Sign Language. Your Handspeak website has provided me with countless hours of invaluable insight and dare I say entertainment. You're a beautiful person, and your work is thoroughly appreciated." -- Patrick Ryan (Minnesota), 2015.
"Handspeak is such a great online ASL lexicon, and it is very helpful. My TA's recommended it over other online ASL dictionaries. Thank you again! -- J.Y., 2017"
"Our daughter is so much happier that she can tell us what she wants and needs. Much less crying, much more laughing! Thank you for this site, the best of its kind on the web."
"We use the site in our homeschooling, as a second language, for our 9-year-old child who does really well with homeschooling. He's exceptionally bright, very active, inquisitive and challenging. Your site has captured his interest and he is intrigued."
"I scuba dive, and being able to use sign language while diving would expand the experience greatly. -- L. Niles"
