MUSIC in sign language

This word entry shows how to sign music and how Deaf people view music.

ASL signs for MUSIC

How to sign "music" in American Sign Language (ASL)?

Meaning: Sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments.

Similar sign for SONG, MUSIC, SING. This reflects a different value in Eye culture from Ear culture. Although, a slightly different movement of the sign and the position of the sign in a sentence structure can tell which word it is.

Old ASL

"Music. -- Raise right forefinger to ear; move both hands, palm down, out toward one side, with vibrating motion; wave right open hand back and forth before palm of left hand." (1910) Ref

Baby signing MUSIC

The video shows how the baby in a case study acquired the ASL word "music" in language development.

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For the baby Juli, the word "music" was one of the first ten-ish words prior to the one-word stage. It started with the open hand twisting at the wrist. It involves proximalization, which a baby learns to control motor from shoulder to fingers in a timeline. At age 2;11, the motor control became more mature.

Deaf culture

Some deaf people enjoy music and listen with hearing aids. Some deaf people without hearing aids enjoy listening to the vibrations of beats and rhythms. And, some other deaf people have zero interest in music. Zero, zip. It varies from one deaf individual to another.

Related vocabulary

Word associations: FRACTAL, VIBRATION, SOUND.

MUSIC STAND, MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, MUSIC SCORES, MUSICIAN, SONG.

Topic posts: music in sign language and music through Deaf lens.

Written ASL

[Note: ASL writing is not an official standard. This sign language writing remains in a state of open space to allow room for experiment, evolution, and improvement.]

Printable ASL for MUSIC

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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.

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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.

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