American Sign Language (ASL) uses approximately 18 distinct handshapes for ordinary signs, plus a few additional marginal handshapes derived from the American Manual Alphabet used in fingerspelling
. However, there is no strict consensus on the exact number of handshapes in ASL; some linguists have identified over 50 handshape "primes" or basic units
. To summarize:
- Core ASL signs typically use about 18 main handshapes
- Including fingerspelling and marginal forms, the total number of handshapes can exceed 50
- Some sources mention higher estimates, such as around 90 handshapes, but this likely includes all variants and fingerspelling forms
Thus, the most reliable estimate for the number of different handshapes used in ASL ordinary signs is around 18, with a broader range of over 50 when including fingerspelling and marginal handshapes.
