Spell a word · 4 letters

How to spell CITY in sign language

City fingerspelled in ASL is 4 handshapes, signed one after another with the palm facing out. Hold each for a beat and keep the hand in one place; the letters carry the word, not the movement.

ASL handshape for the letter CC
ASL handshape for the letter II
ASL handshape for the letter TT
ASL handshape for the letter YY

Letter by letter

  1. C Fingers and thumb curved into an open C shape, palm facing sideways.
  2. I Pinky extended upward; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into a fist with the thumb resting across them.
  3. T A fist with the thumb tucked under the index finger, peeking out between the index and middle fingers.
  4. Y Thumb and pinky extended outward to opposite sides; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into the palm.

Fingerspelling is how ASL handles names, places, brands and words without a sign of their own. Many everyday words do have a sign, so if you are learning ASL as a language, learn that sign too; this page shows how the word is spelled with the manual alphabet.