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Symbol Font for ASL

How can you read and write American Sign Language?

Lesson 7: Palm Orientation 1

Orientation symobls combine a finger symbol and a thumb symbol to make a picture of the hand (from the signers perspective).

  
    " = ' -  finger symbols
    . `  thumb symbols

Palm Orientation Symbols

Vertical Hand

    
    ". ."  palms forward
    '. .'  palms together
    ." ".  palms toward signer

Horizontal Hand

    
    .- -.  palms down
    `= =`  palms toward signer
    `- -`  palms up

How to Type: Orientation Symbols

These orientation symobls are built using - = ' " . and `

`^~1^!2^@3^#4^$5^%6^{^}7^&8^*9⁽0⁾-^_=⁺
q^Qw^We^Er^Rt^Ty^Yu^Ui^Io^Op^P[^{]^}\^|
a^As^Sd^Df^Fg^Gh^Hj^Jk^Kl^L;^:'^"
z^Zx^Xc^Cv^Vb^Bn^Nm^M,^<.^>/^?

Try it out

Type - = ' " . and ` to build orientation symbols:

Using Orientation Symbols

Vocabulary

  
    1".&&."1stars
    1'.*.'1meet
    i."**".iisolated
  
    B`-**-`u
spoon
    y`==`yaward
    (|)*-.I^_^kids
  
    {|}**.'5fine

Some signs can be written with or without orientation symbols.

  
    O'.**.'Omore 
(with orientation)
    O**Omore (without)
  
  
    {|}**=`Bmy 
(with orientation)
    {|}**Bmy (without)
  
  
    (.)&-.b<lie 
(with orientation)
    (.)&b<lie (without)
  
  
    1'.**."Tpick-on 
(with orientation)
    1**Tpick-on (without)
  

Some signs are ambiguous without the orientation symbols.

  
    (.)*."1/answer
    (.)*.'1/true
    (.)*".1/tell
  

How to Type: More Handshapes

UU

Handshape Review

  
    BB
    OO

Practice

Type in just the orientation symbols for these signs:

  
    stars 1&&1
    meet 1*1
    isolated i**i
    spoon B**u
    award yy
    kids (|)*I^_^
    fine {|}**5

    more O**O
    my {|}**B
    lie (.)&b<
    pickon 1**T

    answer (.)*1/
    true (.)*1/
    tell (.)*1/
  

Lesson 8: Head Locations 2 →