To sign 'powerful', start by placing your open, slightly curved dominant hand on your non-dominant bicep, with your palm facing your arm. Firmly pull your hand outward and away from your body while closing it into a tight fist. The motion should be sharp and deliberate, mimicking the act of grabbing your muscle to demonstrate strength.
Sign 'powerful' with a strong, intense facial expression to show the severity and destructive force of the storm.
Use the sign for 'powerful' followed by the sign for 'leader' to describe her strong, influential, and effective leadership skills.
Sign 'powerful' to emphasize the deep emotional impact of the movie's message, keeping the movement sharp to convey its significance.
Sign 'powerful' with a strong, intense facial expression to show the severity and destructive force of the storm.
Use the sign for 'powerful' followed by the sign for 'leader' to describe her strong, influential, and effective leadership skills.
Sign 'powerful' to emphasize the deep emotional impact of the movie's message, keeping the movement sharp to convey its significance.
This sign is very closely related to 'strong' and is often used interchangeably depending on the context. Your facial expressions and the intensity of the movement will help clarify whether you mean 'powerful', 'strong', or 'muscular'.
No, you should always use your dominant hand to perform the primary movement in ASL. If you are left-handed, simply place your open left hand on your right bicep and pull away into a tight fist. Consistency with your dominant hand helps keep your signing clear and natural.
Yes, there is a common two-handed variation for 'strong' or 'powerful' where both hands start open near the shoulders and pull forward and down into tight fists. However, the one-handed bicep version shown here is widely understood, highly visual, and perfectly correct for beginners to learn and use.
