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How to use the fingerspelling translator
Type or paste text in the box. Each letter and digit gets a picture of its handshape, with the letter under it. Spaces between words stay as small gaps. Signs that the hand alphabet doesn't have show as a highlighted mark.
Press Download PNG to save all the signs as one picture. Print shows only the signs, so they fit on paper.
The ASL manual alphabet
American Sign Language (ASL) is a full language with its own grammar. It is not English on the hands. The manual alphabet is a small part of it. Signers use it to spell names, places and some words that have no sign. This is called fingerspelling.
Each letter is one handshape. J and Z also move: you draw a J with the little finger and a Z with the index finger in the air.
ASL alphabet chart
All 26 letters and the digits 0 to 9. The arrows on J and Z show how the hand moves.
Tips for clear fingerspelling
Hold your hand up near your shoulder, with the palm facing the person you talk to. Keep the hand in one place and let the shapes change. Aim for a steady pace instead of speed. Pause a little between words.
Other countries have other sign languages with other alphabets. Unicode has no characters for hand alphabets. Sutton SignWriting is in Unicode at U+1D800 to U+1DAAF, but it is a separate system for writing whole signs. To learn ASL, start with resources made by Deaf people, like the ones from the National Association of the Deaf.
| Feature | ASL | BSL |
|---|---|---|
| Hands | One hand | Two hands |
| Where | United States and parts of Canada | United Kingdom |
| Vowels | Their own handshapes | Point to a fingertip of the other hand, from the thumb for A to the little finger for U |
| Family | Grew from French Sign Language | Close to Australian and New Zealand sign languages |
Want the same word in Morse, Braille or flags? The symbol alphabet translator shows all five at once.