How to sign “Copy” in ASL
The BSL sign for “Copy” isn't in our dictionary yet — it will be fingerspelled in BSL mode, never replaced with this ASL sign.
Step by step
- Hold your non-dominant hand flat in front of you, palm facing up, like a blank sheet of paper.
- Reach your dominant open hand out over the flat hand with all five fingers spread.
- Pinch the fingertips and thumb of the dominant hand together, as if lifting an invisible print off the page.
- Pull the pinched hand back toward yourself in one smooth, short motion.
- Set the pinched fingertips down onto the flat palm of your non-dominant hand.
- Keep your expression neutral; the pinch-and-lift motion is what makes the sign readable.
Practice tip
Mime pulling a fresh copy off the original — the pinch-and-lift is the heart of this sign.
Fingerspell “Copy”
Letter by letter — a handy backup if you forget the sign above. This is not the sign itself.
Text-based guide researched from established ASL references (Lifeprint, university and public-health materials) and rewritten in original words. Signer-created photos and videos are a planned future upgrade.