To sign *obese*, start by puffing out your cheeks to indicate fullness or a large size. Bring your dominant hand up near your cheek in a loose claw or curved shape, with your palm facing your face. Pull your hand outward and away from your cheek, as if showing the face expanding.
Sign DOCTOR, SAY, DOG, and then sign OBESE by puffing your cheeks and pulling your curved hand away from your face.
Sign MY UNCLE, then sign OBESE. To show 'severely,' you can puff your cheeks out even more and make the outward hand movement larger and more deliberate.
Sign EAT TOO-MUCH JUNK FOOD, CAN CAUSE OBESE. Remember to include the puffed cheeks when signing OBESE to convey the meaning accurately.
Sign DOCTOR, SAY, DOG, and then sign OBESE by puffing your cheeks and pulling your curved hand away from your face.
Sign MY UNCLE, then sign OBESE. To show 'severely,' you can puff your cheeks out even more and make the outward hand movement larger and more deliberate.
Sign EAT TOO-MUCH JUNK FOOD, CAN CAUSE OBESE. Remember to include the puffed cheeks when signing OBESE to convey the meaning accurately.
Yes! While the one-handed version is common, you can use both hands simultaneously pulling away from both cheeks. This two-handed variation is often used to emphasize a larger size or to mean 'very obese.'
In Deaf culture, describing physical characteristics is often more direct than in hearing culture and is usually neutral. However, your facial expression and the context of the conversation determine whether the sign is perceived as a simple description or as an insult.
Puffing your cheeks is a 'mouth morpheme' in ASL. It visually represents fullness, bulk, or a large amount. Without this facial expression, the manual sign loses a significant part of its descriptive meaning.
