How to spell SOUTH AFRICA in sign language
South Africa fingerspelled in ASL is 11 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.
S
O
U
T
H·
A
F
R
I
CALetter by letter
- S A closed fist with the thumb wrapped across the front of all curled fingers.
- O All fingertips curved forward to touch the tip of the thumb, forming a closed O circle.
- U Index and middle fingers extended straight up and held tightly together; thumb holds ring and pinky down.
- T A fist with the thumb tucked under the index finger, peeking out between the index and middle fingers.
- H Index and middle fingers extended together, pointing sideways; thumb holds the ring and pinky down.
- A A closed fist with the thumb resting upright against the side of the index finger.
- F Thumb and index fingertip touch to form a circle; middle, ring, and pinky extended upward and slightly spread.
- R Index and middle fingers extended upward and crossed (middle finger over index); thumb holds the ring and pinky down.
- I Pinky extended upward; index, middle, and ring fingers curled into a fist with the thumb resting across them.
- C Fingers and thumb curved into an open C shape, palm facing sideways.
- A A closed fist with the thumb resting upright against the side of the index finger.
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.