Level 2 · Everyday ASL · lesson 10 of 21

Animals

A themed set that doubles as handshape practice.

6 signs·About 13 minutes

Each animal sign seizes on a single trait — the cat's whiskers, the cow's horn, the bird's beak. ASL names by the most depictable feature.

Signs in this lesson

Open any sign for its full history, sources and minimal pairs.

Pinch an 'F' hand at the corner of your mouth and draw it outward, tracing whiskers.

Snap your fingers against your thigh (calling a dog), or pat the thigh.

At the mouth, open and close a 'G' hand like a beak.

Hold a flat hand on edge and let it swim forward with a wavering motion.

Set the thumb of a 'Y' hand at your temple and twist — the horn of a cow.

Hold a fist in neutral space and squeeze it open and closed, as if milking a cow.