FISH in Sign Language and Deaf Culture

This entry shows you how to sign "fish" in ASL. And, enjoy the Deaf German artist Albert Fischer's art below.

Printable ASL sign for FISH
Printable

There are two variations -- one casual and one formal citation.

Meaning: A cold-blooded animal that lives in water, breathes with gills, and usually has fins and scales.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant horizontal flat hand, palm facing left, in space, slightly sways a few times while slightly moves forward.

Variant; formal citation.

Pronunciation (sign description): Non-dominant horizontal flat hand with its palm facing right and its fingers in contact with the wrist of the dominant horizontal flat hand, palm facing left, both in space, with the dominant hand slightly sways back and forth a few times while the non-dominant hand stays unmoved.

Related signs: FISHING, GOLDFISH, SHARK, SWORDFISH, CRAWFISH.

Deaf Art

Art by Albert Fische
Art by Albert Fische

Albert "Fise" Fischer (1940-2003) is a Munich-born German Deaf artist as well as one of important human rights activist for Deaf.

"He often painted fish. On the one hand, because his name was Fischer. But above all, fish were symbols of deafness for him. Fish have no ears. Instead of fins, he painted signifying hands. Deaf people can talk underwater. Hearing people can don't talk in sign language, they would drown." (Heidemarie Fischer, his wife). Ref

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.