HAPPY in sign language

ASL sign for
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This image is the snapshot of the video signing "happy" in American Sign Language.

ASL sign for HAPPY

Definition: Feeling or showing pleasure or contentment; pleased; glad.

Pronunciation/sign description: Dominant horizontal flat hand (handshape), palm in (orientation), on the chest (location), brushes upward twice (movement).

Question: "When does a signer articulates with two hands in HAPPY?"

Answer: One-handed "happy" in ASL is more commonly used in general. The two-handed version is not as much used as the one-handed version in term of casual/informal registers. However, the two-handed version, when used, may have other meanings or contexts. When using emphasis, either version may be used. The two-handed version can be used in the context of singing "happy birthday" which shows more volume, but it's not always the case.

Aside from that, the variants of movement, speed, and intonation, including facial expression, may convey subtle variations of meaning, used by Deaf native and fluent signers.

Baby signing "happy"

This time-lapse video shows how the baby first learned the ASL word "happy" which emerged during the one-word stage of language development.

As the handshape is unmarked, it's easy to form the handshape but the movement may be harder to form at this stage. The upward movement in adults signing "happy" is subtle, too.

Vocabulary

Related signs or synonyms: GLAD, CONTENT, THRILLED, CHEERFUL, JOY.

Opposite: SAD.

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First 100 words.

  1. again
  2. also
  3. ask
  4. bad
  5. boy
  6. but
  7. can
  8. come
  9. deaf
  10. different
  11. drink
  12. drive
  13. eat
  14. email
  15. excuse
  16. family
  17. feel
  18. few
  19. find
  20. fine
  21. fingerspell
  22. finish
  23. food
  24. for
  25. forget
  26. friend
  27. get
  28. girl
  29. give
  30. go
  31. good
  32. have, has, had
  33. he
  34. hearing
  35. hello
  36. help
  37. home
  38. how
  39. Internet
  40. know
  41. later
  42. like (feeling)
  43. little
  44. live
  45. man
  46. many
  47. me
  48. meet
  49. more
  50. my
  51. name
  52. need
  53. new
  54. no
  55. not
  56. now
  57. ok, okay
  58. old
  59. other
  60. please
  61. remember
  62. same
  63. say
  64. school
  65. see
  66. she
  67. should
  68. sign, signed word
  69. slow
  70. some
  71. sorry
  72. store
  73. take
  74. tell
  75. text, sms
  76. thank, thank you
  77. their
  78. they
  79. think
  80. time
  81. tired
  82. try
  83. understand
  84. use
  85. wait
  86. want
  87. what
  88. when
  89. where
  90. which
  91. who
  92. why
  93. will
  94. with
  95. woman
  96. work
  97. write
  98. yes
  99. you
  100. your

As you feel more comfortable with the first few hundreds of ASL signs, progress further with your vocabulary and learn signing more.