To sign "anime," you will fingerspell the word A-N-I-M-E. Hold your dominant hand up near your shoulder with your palm facing outward. Smoothly transition through the letters: start with "A," move to "N," then "I," "M," and finish with "E." Keep your hand relatively still and let your fingers do the work to ensure the spelling is clear and easy to read.
Sign 'I', 'love', and 'watch', then smoothly fingerspell A-N-I-M-E. Finish by signing 'weekend'.
Sign 'your' and 'favorite', fingerspell A-N-I-M-E, and then sign 'what' while furrowing your eyebrows to indicate a question.
Point to indicate 'he', sign 'draw', fingerspell A-N-I-M-E, and then sign 'character'.
Sign 'I', 'love', and 'watch', then smoothly fingerspell A-N-I-M-E. Finish by signing 'weekend'.
Sign 'your' and 'favorite', fingerspell A-N-I-M-E, and then sign 'what' while furrowing your eyebrows to indicate a question.
Point to indicate 'he', sign 'draw', fingerspell A-N-I-M-E, and then sign 'character'.
While fingerspelling is the most common and universally understood way to say 'anime,' some signers might use a descriptive sign showing large eyes or combine the signs for 'Japan' and 'animation.' As a beginner, fingerspelling is your best and safest bet.
Don't worry about speed! It is much more important to be clear and accurate. Practice transitioning smoothly between the letters A, N, I, M, and E at a comfortable pace. Speed will naturally develop over time.
Yes, it is helpful to naturally mouth the word 'anime' (not the individual letters) while you fingerspell it. This provides extra context and helps the person you are signing with understand the word more easily.
