How to Sign Lunch in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), a widely taught way to sign lunch is a compound of two signs: EAT followed by NOON. You bring a pinched hand to your mouth as if putting food in it, then hold your forearm upright with your elbow resting on your other hand, like the sun at its highest point. Together, the two parts mean the midday meal.

Two points can change the answer. First, this guide covers ASL, the sign language most commonly used by Deaf communities in the United States. British Sign Language, Auslan and other sign languages are separate languages with their own vocabulary, so the sign for lunch may be different in them. Second, ASL itself has regional and personal variation. Some signers use a shorter form, such as a sign made with an L handshape near the mouth or chin, instead of the full compound. No source evidence was supplied for this article to confirm which variant is most common in a particular area, so treat the compound below as a reliable starting point rather than the only correct form.

Terms used in the steps

• Dominant hand: the hand you write with. It does most of the movement.
• Non-dominant hand: your other hand. It often stays still and acts as a base.
• Handshape: the shape your fingers and thumb make.
• Palm orientation: the direction your palm faces.
• Flattened O handshape: all four fingertips pressed together against the pad of the thumb, so the hand looks like a closed beak or a pinch of food.

Step by step: signing lunch as EAT plus NOON

Part 1: EAT

• 1. Form a flattened O with your dominant hand, fingertips touching the thumb.
• 2. Turn the hand so the fingertips point toward your mouth.
• 3. Bring the fingertips to your lips, or just in front of them, and tap lightly once or twice.
• Check: the motion should look like you are putting a small bite of food into your mouth. If your fingers are spread apart, close them into the pinch.

Part 2: NOON

• 1. Hold your non-dominant arm horizontally across the front of your body, hand flat and palm facing down.
• 2. Hold your dominant hand flat with the fingers together and pointing straight up.
• 3. Rest your dominant elbow on the back of your non-dominant hand, so your dominant forearm stands upright like a clock hand pointing to 12.
• 4. Keep your dominant palm facing to the side or slightly forward, and hold the position briefly.
• Check: your two arms should form roughly an upside-down T, with the upright forearm straight rather than leaning. A tilted forearm can read as a different time of day, because related ASL time signs use the angle of this arm to show the sun's position.

Putting it together

Sign EAT, then move directly into NOON without a long pause. The transition should feel like one word made of two parts, not two separate words. If you are left-handed, mirror every step so your left hand does the EAT motion and stands upright for NOON.

How to check that you signed it correctly

• Practice in a mirror and compare each part to the checks above: a closed pinch at the mouth for EAT, and an upright forearm resting on a flat horizontal hand for NOON.
• Compare your version with a video from a reputable ASL dictionary or course, paying attention to handshape, location, movement and palm orientation.
• Ask a fluent or Deaf signer to watch you sign it. This is the best way to confirm both accuracy and whether the form you learned matches local usage.
• If you use the sign in conversation and people understand you, that confirms it communicates, though they may still show you a local variant.

Self-checks in a mirror only confirm that you are copying the described shapes and movements. They do not confirm that your form is the one people around you use, which is why checking with a fluent signer matters.

Related meal signs follow the same pattern

The EAT plus time-of-day pattern is often taught for other meals too. Breakfast is commonly signed as EAT plus MORNING, and dinner as EAT plus NIGHT. As with lunch, shorter variants exist, including some that use the first letter of the English word. Learning the pattern can help you recognize these signs, but confirm each one with a dictionary video or a fluent signer before relying on it.