HORSE in sign language

Horse art by coda — Art by Juli LC, age 5

ASL signs for HORSE

You can use either of two versions for "horse" in American Sign Language (ASL).

Meaning: A large hoofed mammal having a short coat, a long mane, and a long tail, domesticated since ancient times and used for riding and for drawing or carrying loads.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant "13" hand with thumb in contact with headside, palm out, forefinger and middle finger together bend down twice.

Using either one or two hands is acceptable. Both hands are used in the context of formal register (e.g. teaching ASL in class or storytelling for children). Use one hand in casual register.

Pronunciation (sign description): Both hands of "13" handshape with thumbs in contact with headsides, forefinger and middle finger in both hands bend bend down twice.

Q: When to use one-handed and two-handed? Either. The double-handed is a formal citation. In everyday conversations, we Deaf people generally use the one-handed version.

Related signs: HORSEBACK-RIDING, HORSE-RACING, SADDLE, BRIDLE, BLINDERS, HORSESHOE.

Related signs: MULE, DONKEY, ANIMAL.

Doodle to Brighten Your Day

Doodle art of a horse — Doodle art by Jolanta Lapiak, 2020

This doodle art depicts a written ASL word with an image of the horse above the written ASL and a fingerspelled English word below the ASL written word. In case, you're wondering what the heck is a hatched blob in front of the horse. It's hay!

Creative ASL Storytelling

"The Super Deaf Black Stallion" (2018) by Ian Sanborn.

Uses of visual vernacular and cinematic devices. This video makes me laugh. Great job.

Usage/Grammar

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ASL has its own grammar and structure in sentences that works differently from English. For plurals, verb inflections, word order, etc., learn grammar in the "ASL Learn" section. For search in the dictionary, use the present-time verbs and base words. If you look for "said", look up the word "say". Likewise, if you look for an adjective word, try the noun or vice versa. E.g. The ASL signs for French and France are the same. If you look for a plural word, use a singular word.