How to sign “Professor” in ASL
The BSL sign for “Professor” isn't in our dictionary yet — it will be fingerspelled in BSL mode, never replaced with this ASL sign.
Step by step
- Shape both hands into loose flattened O handshapes, fingertips and thumbs nearly touching.
- Hold both hands up near your temples, in front of your head.
- Push both hands forward about six inches in one quick motion, as if passing knowledge onward.
- Open both hands into flat B handshapes with the palms facing each other.
- Lower the flat hands straight down in front of your body to mark the person.
- Keep a calm, respectful expression; a slight nod suits the formal title.
Practice tip
Signs like 'teacher' — ASL has no separate honorific, so this sign covers teacher and professor.
Fingerspell “Professor”
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.