SLAP in sign language

How do you sign "slap" in ASL? The signs for 'slap' can be locative variations, locative classifiers, depending on what sentences involve. Here is a general concept only.

Meaning: To strike with the open hand.

Meaning: To slap, strike (e.g. a person) with the open hand.

Cross-cultural anecdote

One of a few funny misfortunes was that a couple stopped to let Juli (age 1;7) pet their dog. Juli, sitting in her stroller, hesitated to pet but she looked at the stranger and spontaneously told a story, insect got-slapped! (where the production for "insect" was not perfect). She was talking about a mosquito. The man smiled subtly (or at least half-smiled).

Imagine, the man through his perception, who didn't know ASL and had no idea about the early phonological development in sign language) looked at the toddler who signed by "honking" her nose and "slapped". How weird that toddler must be! He'd never think of a 'insect' or 'mosquito'. The "claw 3" handshape for INSECT is one of the handshapes to develop only much later.

Signoclasm -- slapping hands

Signoclasm is a coined term (2005) which is defined as the practice of prohibiting or destroying sign language, such as slapping hands, forbidding the use of sign language, etc. Many deaf people commonly have experienced some kinds of "signoclasm" across the generations worldwide.

Several deaf people have told that their hands were slapped with a ruler when they signed in schools in the 20th century. Ref

"I also experienced the slap of a ruler on my hands that itched to sign." -- American Deaf artist Kim Anderson (2019). Ref

"A hearing kindergarten teacher slapped my face when I couldn't speak the letter "L" properly in several sessions." -- J.L.

Ad-free Patron: To remove ads or/and unlock premium content, subscribe today or learn more about the features.

~~ Feeling lucky? ¯\(°_o)/¯ Random word ~~

Search Tips and Pointers

Search/Filter: Enter a keyword in the filter/search box to see a list of available words with the "All" selection. Click on the page number if needed. Click on the blue link to look up the word. For best result, enter a partial word to see variations of the word.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes
Screenshot of the search dictionary

Alphabetical letters: It's useful for 1) a single-letter word (such as A, B, etc.) and 2) very short words (e.g. "to", "he", etc.) to narrow down the words and pages in the list.

For best result, enter a short word in the search box, then select the alphetical letter (and page number if needed), and click on the blue link.

Screenshot of dictionary search with notes
Screenshot of the search dictionary

Don't forget to click "All" back when you search another word with a different initial letter.

If you cannot find (perhaps overlook) a word but you can still see a list of links, then keep looking until the links disappear! Sharpening your eye or maybe refine your alphabetical index skill. :)

Add a Word: This dictionary is not exhaustive; ASL signs are constantly added to the dictionary. If you don't find a word/sign, you can send your request (only if a single link doesn't show in the result).

Videos: The first video may be NOT the answer you're looking for. There are several signs for different meanings, contexts, and/or variations. Browsing all the way down to the next search box is highly recommended.

Video speed: Signing too fast in the videos? See HELP in the footer.

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.