How to Sign “Deaf” in ASL: Step-by-Step Guide

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), DEAF is usually signed with one hand. Extend your index finger, touch your cheek near your ear, then touch near the corner of your mouth. Many signers do the reverse, starting near the mouth and ending near the ear. Both orders are widely used and understood.

About the video: these written steps are meant to accompany a video demonstration, but no clip was supplied for this article. If you need to see the movement, compare your signing against a reputable ASL dictionary video or a Deaf ASL instructor.

Step-by-step: signing DEAF

• 1. Use your dominant hand: your right hand if you are right-handed, your left if you are left-handed. Your other hand stays relaxed and is not used.
• 2. Form the handshape: extend your index finger and curl the other fingers into your palm, with your thumb resting over them. This is the same shape as the number 1.
• 3. Place your fingertip lightly on your cheek, close to your ear.
• 4. Move your hand in a small arc and touch near the corner of your mouth, on the same side of your face.
• 5. Alternatively, start near the mouth and end near the ear. Choose one order and use it consistently.
• 6. Keep the movement small and smooth. Two light touches are enough; you do not need to press or tap repeatedly.

Clarifications that affect meaning

• Deaf vs. deaf: in writing, a capital D often refers to Deaf culture and community identity, and a lowercase d to the audiological condition. In everyday ASL, both are typically expressed with the same sign.
• Hard of hearing is a different sign. Do not use DEAF when someone describes themselves as hard of hearing.
• Regional and personal variation exists, including the order of the two touches. If the people you sign with use a different form, follow their usage.

Common mistakes

• Pointing at or into the ear: the fingertip should touch the cheek near the ear, not the ear itself.
• Using a flat hand or several fingers: the handshape is a single extended index finger.
• Making the movement too large: the path between the two points is short and stays on one side of the face.
• Crossing to the other side of the face: both touches belong on the same side as your signing hand.

How to check your form

Practice in front of a mirror or your phone’s front camera and compare yourself with a demonstration video. Your sign is on track if both touch points are on the same side of your face, the handshape stays as a single extended index finger throughout, and the movement is a short, smooth arc.

Mirroring can cause confusion. A right-handed signer facing you in a video uses the hand on your left side of the screen. If you are right-handed, copy them as you would a mirror image, using your right hand. Many front cameras also show a mirrored preview of yourself, so your hand appears on the same side of the screen as it does in a mirror. Other people on a video call usually see an unmirrored image.

A mirror or camera can confirm your handshape and placement. It cannot confirm whether the sign looks natural or matches local usage. For that, ask a fluent signer for feedback, ideally a Deaf ASL teacher.