How to sign
40 in ASL
40 is the ASL sign for 40, filed under Numbers. Watch the clip, then sign it along with the video.
- Single sign
- Numbers
How to sign 40
- 1
Watch the clip once at full speed, then once at half speed. Notice the handshape, where the sign sits, and the direction the hand moves.
- 2
Sign 40 along with the video. Keep your hand where the signer keeps it; moving a sign up, down, or off to the side can change its meaning.
- 3
Add the face. Even a plain vocabulary sign reads better with natural eye contact and an expression that matches the context.
Common mistakes
- Mouthing the full English sentence while you sign. Mouth the ASL gloss or keep your lips relaxed; ASL is its own language, not English on the hands.
- Signing too low or too far from the body. Keep your signing space between your chest and your chin where it is easy to see.
Questions about “40”
Yes. This clip shows the common ASL sign for 40. Like spoken languages, ASL has regional variation, so you may see small differences from signer to signer.
Guide
ASL Numbers
Count from zero to one hundred in ASL. Video for every number, the palm-orientation rule that trips up beginners, and the patterns that make 20 to 99 easy.
From the blog
The First 50 ASL Signs to Learn (and Why These 50)
A teacher-picked starter vocabulary: greetings, replies, pronouns, question words, and feelings that let you hold a real first conversation. Every sign on video.