Spell a word · 5 letters

How to spell POOJA in sign language

Pooja fingerspelled in ASL is 5 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 PP
ASL handshape for the letter OO
ASL handshape for the letter OO
ASL handshape for the letter JJ
ASL handshape for the letter AA

Letter by letter

  1. P Same handshape as K, but angled downward with the index and middle fingers pointing toward the ground.
  2. O All fingertips curved forward to touch the tip of the thumb, forming a closed O circle.
  3. O All fingertips curved forward to touch the tip of the thumb, forming a closed O circle.
  4. J Pinky extended from a fist, tracing a J-shaped hook downward in the air.
  5. A A closed fist with the thumb resting upright against the side of the index finger.

Double letters. POOJA has the same letter twice in a row. Do not re-form it: hold the handshape and slide the hand slightly to the side, or give it a small bounce, so the reader sees two.

Motion letter. J cannot be held still: it is drawn in the air rather than posed. Everything else in POOJA is a static handshape.

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.