To sign 'penguin,' hold both arms down by your sides with your hands flat and palms facing down. Keep your wrists flexed so your hands point outward slightly, resembling a penguin's flippers. Alternately move your hands up and down while slightly shifting your body side to side, mimicking the waddling walk of a penguin.
Point to the imaginary penguin, sign 'cute' by brushing your chin with your index and middle fingers, and then sign 'penguin' by waddling your hands at your sides.
Sign 'penguin' with the waddling motion, then sign 'live,' and finish with the sign for 'cold,' shivering your shoulders slightly to emphasize the freezing temperature.
Sign 'my,' 'favorite,' and 'animal,' then finish the sentence with the 'penguin' sign, ensuring your hands stay low by your hips.
Point to the imaginary penguin, sign 'cute' by brushing your chin with your index and middle fingers, and then sign 'penguin' by waddling your hands at your sides.
Sign 'penguin' with the waddling motion, then sign 'live,' and finish with the sign for 'cold,' shivering your shoulders slightly to emphasize the freezing temperature.
Sign 'my,' 'favorite,' and 'animal,' then finish the sentence with the 'penguin' sign, ensuring your hands stay low by your hips.
While the hand movement alone conveys the meaning, adding a slight side-to-side sway makes the sign much more natural and expressive. Body language is a huge part of ASL, and the sway perfectly captures the penguin's waddle.
Keep your hands low, right around your hips or upper thighs. If you lift your hands too high or flap your elbows, it might look like you are signing 'bird' or 'chicken' instead.
Yes! This general sign is used for any species of penguin, from Emperor penguins to Macaroni penguins. If you need to specify a type, you would typically fingerspell the specific name before signing 'penguin.'
