Learn how to sign "boy" in ASL (vocabulary), see how an ASL-speaking child acquires the signed word (phonological development), and how the sign "boy" formed (etymology).
Definition: A male child or young man.
The origin of this onomatopoeic sign came from a grasp of the brim of the cap in the old days.
Pronunciation/articulation: Dominant "flat O" handshape (palm orientation facing the left side) tapping twice in front of the forehead.
Origin/etymology: "A sign borrowed from French sign language which originated in olden days, when boys wore 'caps' as part of their standard school uniforms." -- Lyn J. Wiley via email, May 2015.
Opposite: GIRL.
Review 101 words. Refresher.