To sign 'nanny,' start by making the sign for 'take care of.' Form both hands into 'K' handshapes (index and middle fingers extended and spread, with the thumb resting on the middle finger). Place your dominant 'K' hand on top of your non-dominant 'K' hand and tap them together twice. Then, add the 'person' ending by changing both hands to flat handshapes with palms facing each other, and moving them straight down.
Sign 'our', then 'nanny' (take-care-of + person), followed by 'wonderful' and 'with kids'.
Point to yourself for 'I', sign 'work', then 'nanny', and finish with the sign for 'summer'.
Sign 'you need nanny', raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question, then sign 'weekend'.
Sign 'our', then 'nanny' (take-care-of + person), followed by 'wonderful' and 'with kids'.
Point to yourself for 'I', sign 'work', then 'nanny', and finish with the sign for 'summer'.
Sign 'you need nanny', raising your eyebrows to indicate a yes/no question, then sign 'weekend'.
Yes, this sign is often used interchangeably for 'nanny', 'babysitter', or 'caretaker'. It broadly refers to a person whose job is to take care of someone or something.
Both are acceptable! Tapping the 'K' hands twice is very common, but some signers use a small, repeated circular motion for the 'take care of' portion. Both convey the same meaning.
The flat hands moving downward act as an 'agent marker' in ASL. It turns a verb (like 'take care of') into a noun representing the person who performs that action (a 'caretaker' or 'nanny').
