How to sign
Sad in ASL
Sad draws both open hands downward in front of the face, with the face falling along with them.
- Single sign
- Two hands
- Handshape: Open hands, fingers spread
- In front of the face
- How you feel
How to sign sad
- 1
Hold both open hands in front of your face, palms toward you.
- 2
Draw them slowly downward past the chin.
- 3
Let your eyebrows, mouth, and eyes drop with your hands.
Common mistakes
- Moving fast. SAD is slow and heavy.
- Keeping a neutral face, which makes it unreadable.
Use it in a sentence
English sentences you can sign with Sad. In ASL the word order can shift and filler words drop away.
- “I feel sad today.”
Questions about “Sad”
Yes. This clip shows the common ASL sign for sad. Like spoken languages, ASL has regional variation, so you may see small differences from signer to signer.
Guide
Feelings
Emotion signs are where facial expression stops being optional. Learn the core feeling signs, the full phrases like I'm tired, and how to match your face to the sign.
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.