To sign shy in ASL, make a loose fist with your thumb up and press the backs of your bent fingers against your cheek, near the corner of your mouth. Twist the hand once against the cheek. Tilt your head a little and narrow your eyes to show the feeling.
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How to sign it
Handshape: a loose fist with the thumb pointing up and the fingers bent.
Location: the backs of the fingers against your cheek, near the corner of your mouth.
Movement: twist the hand once against the cheek.
Facial expression: head tilted a little, eyes narrowed.
Tip to remember it
Lifeprint adds a shy facial expression and a slightly bowed head.
Use it in a sentence
BOY SHY.
The boy is shy.
This video shows one way to sign shy. Lifeprint shows another version: a bent hand, with the fingers straight and bent at the knuckles, twisted against the cheek.
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Signed by a Deaf, fluent ASL signer.
Description checked against AISA's own video (the reference); Lifeprint (ASL University), lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-signs/s/shy.htm.
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