Start by forming 'G' handshapes with both hands, keeping your index fingers and thumbs extended and parallel. Hold your hands in front of your chest with the fingertips pointing inward toward each other. Slowly pull your hands apart horizontally. As you make this motion, suck in your cheeks—this facial expression is an important part of the sign that emphasizes thinness.
Sign 'ice', then use the 'thin' sign to describe its thickness. Make sure to suck in your cheeks to emphasize just how thin and fragile the layer of ice is.
After signing 'cake' and 'slice', use this sign to show the thickness of the slice. The horizontal movement shows the width of the slice while the 'G' handshape shows the thickness.
Sign 'wire', and then follow it with the sign for 'thin'. Pulling your hands apart horizontally perfectly illustrates the length of the thin wire.
Sign 'ice', then use the 'thin' sign to describe its thickness. Make sure to suck in your cheeks to emphasize just how thin and fragile the layer of ice is.
After signing 'cake' and 'slice', use this sign to show the thickness of the slice. The horizontal movement shows the width of the slice while the 'G' handshape shows the thickness.
Sign 'wire', and then follow it with the sign for 'thin'. Pulling your hands apart horizontally perfectly illustrates the length of the thin wire.
This specific sign—using 'G' handshapes pulled apart horizontally—is generally used for thin objects, layers, or materials. To describe a thin person, ASL typically uses a different sign where 'I' handshapes (extended pinkies) move vertically apart from each other.
In ASL, facial expressions are called non-manual markers (NMMs) and they function as grammar. Sucking in your cheeks is the specific NMM used to convey that something is thin, small, or narrow. Without it, the sign feels incomplete to fluent signers.
The distance you pull your hands apart depends on what you are describing! If you are talking about a long, thin wire, you can pull your hands further apart to show its length. For a small, thin slice, a shorter movement is appropriate.
