How to Sign Pregnant in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), a widely taught sign for PREGNANT uses both hands. Spread the fingers of both hands, then lace them loosely together in front of your stomach. Move the joined hands slightly forward and away from your body, as if showing a belly growing outward.

This guide covers ASL, the sign language most used in the United States. Other sign languages, such as British Sign Language, have their own signs for pregnant, and the ASL sign may not be understood the same way outside ASL communities. Ask whoever you are signing with which language they use.

Step by step: the interlocked-fingers sign

• 1. Hold both hands in a "5" handshape. This means each hand is open with the fingers spread apart and the thumb out.
• 2. Bring your hands in front of your stomach with the palms facing your body.
• 3. Slide the fingers of one hand between the fingers of the other so they mesh loosely, like two combs meeting. Keep the grip relaxed.
• 4. Move the joined hands a short distance forward and slightly upward, away from your stomach. The motion suggests the belly expanding.
• 5. Keep the movement small and smooth. One movement is enough.

A common variant: showing the belly shape

Some signers use one curved, open hand instead. They start near the stomach and trace an outward arc to show a rounded belly. People generally understand this version from context, but it can look more like a gesture than the standard sign. If you are learning ASL formally, use the interlocked-fingers version unless your teacher or the Deaf people around you sign it differently.

Using the sign in a sentence

ASL does not add endings to show tense or person the way English does. Grammar comes from word order, pointing and facial expression.

• To say "I'm pregnant": point to yourself with your index finger, then sign PREGNANT. Some signers put the pointing sign at the end instead, or at both the start and the end.
• To ask "Are you pregnant?": point toward the person, sign PREGNANT, and raise your eyebrows while signing. Raised eyebrows mark a yes-or-no question in ASL. Without them, the same signs can read as a statement.
• To talk about someone else: point to the person, or to a spot in space you have set up for them, and then sign PREGNANT.

The same courtesy applies in sign as in speech. Asking someone whether they are pregnant can be awkward if the answer is no, so many people wait until the person shares the news themselves.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

• Watch yourself in a mirror, or record a short clip of yourself, and compare it with a video of a fluent signer.
• Check that your fingers are spread before they interlock. A closed fist or flat palms changes the handshape.
• Check that your hands are at stomach height. Sign at chest or face height and the meaning can shift.
• Check that the movement goes outward from your body and is not a twisting or shaking motion.
• If you can, ask a Deaf signer or an ASL instructor to watch. That is the most reliable test of whether people understand you.

A mirror or recording only shows whether your form matches a model. It cannot tell you whether a particular community uses that sign, or whether your facial expression and timing look natural. Only feedback from fluent signers can confirm those things.

Limitations of this guide

No sources or video references were supplied for this article. The descriptions above reflect widely taught ASL forms, but signs vary by region, family, school and generation, and written descriptions of movement can be read in more than one way. Before using the sign in an important conversation, check it against a reputable ASL video dictionary or with a qualified instructor.