How to Sign Making Up

The short answer

There is no single sign for "making up." American Sign Language (ASL) expresses meaning rather than English words, so first decide which sense you mean. It could be reconciling after an argument, inventing something, cosmetics, compensating for something, or completing missed work. Each sense uses a different sign or phrasing. Signing MAKE followed by UP word for word generally won't convey any of them.

This guide assumes ASL, the main sign language used in the US. Other sign languages, such as British Sign Language, have their own vocabularies, so a sign from one may not be understood in another.

Work out which "making up" you mean

• Reconciling, as in "We made up after the argument": signers usually express settling the disagreement or becoming friends again, not a literal translation.
• Inventing, as in "They're making up a story": look for a sign meaning invent, imagine or create.
• Cosmetics, as in "I'm putting on makeup": ASL has a dedicated sign for makeup as a noun.
• Compensating, as in "I'll make up for being late": the idea is repaying or balancing something out.
• Catching up on missed work, as in "I need to make up the test": the idea is taking or completing something later.
• Forming a whole, as in "Students make up half the group": this is usually rephrased around the underlying idea, such as a number or a proportion.

What this guide can't show you

No verified reference descriptions were available for this guide. It therefore doesn't describe the exact handshapes, locations or movements of these signs. Text is also an imperfect way to learn signs, because movement and facial expression are hard to convey in writing. To see the exact form, use a video-based ASL dictionary or ask a fluent signer, ideally a Deaf ASL user. Expect some regional and personal variation.

Steps to sign it

• 1. Write out the full sentence you want to say and identify which meaning of "making up" it uses.
• 2. Restate that meaning in plain words, such as "we stopped fighting" or "they invented it."
• 3. Look up the plain meaning in a video ASL dictionary instead of searching for the English phrase "make up." Check whether the entry lists variants.
• 4. Copy the facial expression from the reference along with the hand movement. In ASL, facial expressions and head movements carry grammar and tone as well as emotion.
• 5. If you can't find a sign or aren't sure of one, fingerspell the key word or describe the idea with signs you already know.

How to check that you got it right

• Record yourself with your hands, face and upper body fully in frame. Compare the recording side by side with the reference video for handshape, location, movement, palm orientation and facial expression.
• Ask a fluent signer to watch you sign the whole sentence. Matching a reference video shows that you've copied the form. Only a fluent signer can confirm that the meaning comes across naturally in context.
• If you'll be signing on video calls, remember that a clear local recording only shows your camera captured the sign. It doesn't show how the sign will look on the other person's screen during a live call.