How to Sign "Soup"

Form your non-dominant hand into a slightly cupped shape, palm facing up, to represent a bowl. With your dominant hand, extend your index and middle fingers together to represent a spoon. Scoop the 'spoon' fingers out of the 'bowl' and bring them up toward your mouth, repeating the motion twice.

Examples Using "Soup" in a Sentence

1

I want chicken soup.

Sign 'I', 'want', 'chicken', and then 'soup' by scooping your dominant fingers from your cupped non-dominant hand up to your mouth.

2

The soup is hot.

Sign 'soup' using the scooping motion, then sign 'hot' by bringing a clawed hand away from your mouth, as if removing hot food.

3

Do you like tomato soup?

Sign 'you', 'like', 'tomato', and finish with 'soup' while raising your eyebrows and leaning slightly forward to ask a yes/no question.

How to Sign "Soup"
Form your non-dominant hand into a slightly cupped shape, palm facing up, to represent a bowl. With your dominant hand, extend your index and middle fingers together to represent a spoon. Scoop the 'spoon' fingers out of the 'bowl' and bring them up toward your mouth, repeating the motion twice.
Visual Logic(Etymology)
This sign is highly iconic, directly mimicking the real-world action of holding a bowl in one hand and using a spoon to eat soup with the other.
Signing Tips
Keep your non-dominant 'bowl' hand stationary in front of you. Only your dominant hand should move as it scoops the imaginary soup up to your mouth.
Common Mistakes
A common mistake is moving the 'bowl' hand up toward the mouth along with the spoon. Remember to keep the bowl hand still and let the spoon do all the work.
Regional Variations
This sign is widely used and understood across the ASL community with minimal regional variation.
Examples Using "Soup" in a Sentence
1

I want chicken soup.

Sign 'I', 'want', 'chicken', and then 'soup' by scooping your dominant fingers from your cupped non-dominant hand up to your mouth.

2

The soup is hot.

Sign 'soup' using the scooping motion, then sign 'hot' by bringing a clawed hand away from your mouth, as if removing hot food.

3

Do you like tomato soup?

Sign 'you', 'like', 'tomato', and finish with 'soup' while raising your eyebrows and leaning slightly forward to ask a yes/no question.

Frequently Asked Questions
Is the sign for 'soup' the same as 'spoon'?

They are very similar! Both use the same handshapes. However, 'soup' typically involves bringing the 'spoon' all the way up to the mouth, whereas the sign for 'spoon' might just show the scooping motion repeatedly on the palm without moving to the mouth.

Does it matter which hand is the bowl?

Yes, you should use your non-dominant hand as the bowl and your dominant hand as the spoon. This follows the natural way you would likely eat.

How many times should I scoop?

Typically, you perform the scooping motion twice. Repeating the movement helps clarify that you are signing the noun 'soup'.

ASL is a beautiful, expressive language. Practice regularly and have fun!