WANT TO KNOW HOW TO

FINGERSPELL YOUR NAME?

Learn how to fingerspell your name using Australian Sign Language (Auslan)

This fingerspelling chart will teach you how to fingerspell your name, your partner’s name, your kids’
names, your pets’ names — anything you’d like!

Fingerspelling is one of the foundations of Auslan and one of the most versatile skills you can
learn!

Here’s your fingerspelling chart

Copyright Honeybee Creations 2018

1
 HOW TO GET STARTED
1. DOMINANT HAND: Determine your dominant hand. It’s usually the hand you write with, or
the hand you use more! And your non-dominant hand is your other hand.

TIP 1: When fingerspelling (or signing), it does not matter if you spell as left-hand or
right-hand dominant. The important thing to remember is to pick which hand you want to
use as the dominant hand and stay with it. You should not switch back and forth between
dominant hands. Most signers will be able to understand your fingerspelling no matter
which hand you use as the dominant hand.
TIP 2: Letters are formed by a dominant hand, which is on top of or alongside the other
hand, the non-dominant hand, at the point of contact. The non-dominant hand, uses either
the same or a simpler handshape as the non-dominant hand. Either the left or right hand
can be dominant.
TIP 3: Think of your dominant hand as like the pencil - to form the letters, and your
non-dominant hand as like the paper - to form the base of the letters or to complete
formation of the letters.

2. VOWELS: Put your dominant hand into a pointer finger, and your non-dominant hand into a
‘Five’ handshape. So if you’re right-handed, your right hand is the pointer finger, and your left
hand is the ‘Five’ handshape. If you’re left-handed, it’ll be the opposite.
Follow the image above, and bend the corresponding finger of your non-dominant hand
forward as you go through the vowels.
Five
Handshape

Pointer
Finger

TIP 4: For the vowels, try not to push your fingers out. Bring your fingers forward.

3. CONSONANTS: The fingerspelling chart is oriented for right-handed dominant signers. So

for ‘C,’ the shape is made with your right hand, your dominant hand. For ‘D,’ your left hand is the
pointer finger, and the ‘C’ shape is made by your right hand. And so on!

Do the opposite if you’re left-handed!

TIP 5: Spell the words slowly and deliberately. Think of it as ‘mindful

fingerspelling.’ When confident, you can increase the speed but continue doing it
deliberately - mindfully.

TIP 6: Try not to bounce the letters. Try to find a steady flow and rhythm in fingerspelling.

TIP 7: Whilst learning, you can fingerspell in syllables e.g., Alexander -->
ALEX--AND--ER

TIP 8: For the space in between first name and surname, just pause a little and then carry
on!

Happy fingerspelling!

Copyright Honeybee Creations 2018

2