Signing A to E: Your First Five ASL Handshapes
American Sign Language (ASL) is a real, complete language used by about 500,000 people in the United States every day. It uses handshapes, movements, and facial expressions instead of sound. The very first step is learning the ASL alphabet — and today you will practice the first five letters: A, B, C, D, and E!
What You'll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you will: 1. Make the correct handshape for letters A, B, C, D, and E in ASL. 2. Tell someone one interesting fact about American Sign Language. 3. Fingerspell a short word using letters A, B, C, D, or E.
Before You Start: How to Hold Your Hand
Hold your signing hand in front of your chest, a little to one side. Keep your elbow slightly away from your body. Your palm can face forward or sideways depending on the letter. Always use your dominant hand — the one you write with. If you are right-handed, that is your right hand. If you are left-handed, use your left hand. Both are correct!
Letters A Through E
Letter A: Make a fist with your thumb sticking up on the side, not on top. It looks a little like the letter A turned sideways. Letter B: Hold all four fingers flat, straight, and pressed together. Tuck your thumb across your palm. Your hand looks like a flat wall. Letter C: Curve all your fingers and your thumb into a big C shape, like you are trying to hold a tennis ball. Your palm faces sideways. Letter D: Touch the tip of your pointer finger to the tips of your middle, ring, and pinky fingers, making a round shape. Your thumb sticks out on the side. It makes a letter D shape. Letter E: Bend all four fingers so their tips touch your palm, and tuck your thumb underneath. Your fingers look a little like a claw.
Hold your hand up in front of a mirror while you practice each letter. The mirror lets you see your handshape the same way another signer would see it from across the table. Check that your thumb and fingers are exactly in the right position!
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
Match each ASL letter to its handshape description.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Which letter is shown by holding all four fingers flat and pressed together with the thumb tucked across the palm?
Why is it important to practice ASL handshapes in front of a mirror?
Fingerspell a Real Word Using A to E
Find a short word that only uses the letters A, B, C, D, and E. Good examples: cab, bed, ace, add, bad, bead, decade. 1. Look at the handshape descriptions or flashcards above for each letter you need. 2. Practice each letter 5 times in front of a mirror. 3. Now fingerspell your whole word slowly, letter by letter, three times in a row. 4. Try once at normal speed. Deliverable: Write down the word you chose and describe, in your own words, what your hand looks like for each letter in that word.
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