TheJapanese Sign Languagesyllabary (指文字,yubimoji; literally "finger letters") is a system of manualkana used as part ofJapanese Sign Language (JSL). It is a signary of 45 signs and 4diacritics representing the phonetic syllables of the Japanese language. Signs are distinguished both in the direction they point, and in whether the palm faces the viewer or the signer. For example, the manual syllablesna, ni, ha are all made with the first two fingers of the hand extended straight, but forna the fingers point down, forni across the body, and forha toward the viewer. The signs forte andho are both an open flat hand, but inte the palm faces the viewer, and inho it faces away.

Although asyllabary rather than analphabet, manualkana is based on themanual alphabet ofAmerican Sign Language. The simple vowelsa, i, u, e, o are nearly identical to the ASL vowels, while the ASL consonantsk, s, t, n, h, m, y, r, w are used for the corresponding syllables ending in the vowela in manual kana:ka, sa, ta, na, ha, ma, ya, ra, wa. The sole exceptions arema,na, andta, the latter having been modified because the ASL lettert is an obscene gesture in Japan.

The other 31 manualkana are taken from a variety of sources. The signs forko, su, tu (tsu), ni, hu (fu), he, ru, re, ro imitate the shapes of thekatakana for those syllables. The signs forno, ri, n trace the way thosekatakana are written, just asj andz do in ASL. The signshi, mi, yo, mu, shi, ku, ti (chi) are slight modifications of the numerals 1hito, 3mi, 4yo, 6mu, 7shichi, 9ku, 1000ti. The syllableyu represents the symbol for 'hot water' (yu) displayed atpublic bath houses. Other symbols are taken from words in Japanese Sign Language, or common gestures used by the hearing in Japan, that represent words starting with that syllable in Japanese:se from JSL "back, spine" (Japanesese);so from "that" (sore);ki from "fox" (kitsune);ke from "fault" (ketten), or perhaps "hair" (ke);te from "hand" (te);to from "together with" (to);nu from "to steal" (nusumu);ne from "roots" (ne);ho from "sail" (ho);me from "eye" (me),mo from "of course" (mochiron).

These signs may be modified to reflect the diacritics used in writtenkana. All the modifications involve adding an element of motion to the sign. Thedakuten orten ten, which representsvoicing, becomes a sideways motion; thehandakuten ormaru, used for the consonantp, moves upwards, smallkana and silentw move inwards, and long vowels move downwards.

That is, the voiced consonants are produced by moving the sign for the syllable with the corresponding unvoiced consonant to the side. (That is, to the right if signing with the right hand.) The manualkanaga, gi, gu, ge, go are derived this way fromka, ki, ku, ke, ko; likewise, those starting withz, d, b are derived from thes, t, h kana. Thepkana are derived from theh kana by moving them upwards. The long vowel inkō (indicated inkatakana by a long line) is shown by moving the signko downward. In writtenkana, a consonant cluster involvingy orw is indicated by writing the secondkana smaller than the first; ageminate consonant by writing a smalltu for the first segment. In foreign borrowings, vowels may also be written small. In manualkana, this is indicated by drawing the kana that would be written small in writing (theya, yu, yo, wa, tu, etc.) inwards, toward the body. This motion is also used to derive thekanawi, we, wo (now pronouncedi, e, o) from thekanai, e, o.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(April 2019)

A: a fist with a thumb extended to the side	I: an ASLi hand: a fist with an extended little finger	U: an ASLu orv hand: a fist with an extended index and middle finger	E: a clawed hand, with the fingers and thumb curled in; like ASLe but fingers do not need to touch the thumb	O: an ASLo hand: a rounded hand, as if gripping a pole, thumb touching fingers
KA: an ASLk hand, extended index and middle fingers, with thumb touching first joint of middle finger	KI: 'fox ears', index and little finger raised, thumb touching tips of extended bent-but-flat middle and ring fingers	KU: a JSL9 hand, all five fingers extended, like ASL5 but with fingers pointing to the side	KE: an ASLb or4 hand: the four fingers raised, and thumb pulled in	KO: a bent flat hand, as if hanging from a table top
SA: an ASLs hand: a fist	SHI: a JSL7 hand: thumb, index, and middle finger, like an ASL3 hand pointed to the side	SU: a JSL7 / ASL3 hand, but fingers pointing downward	SE: a fist with an extended middle finger, palm facing interlocutor	SO: a 'there' hand, extended index finger pointing forward, down, and slightly off to the side
TA: a fist with thumb extended upward	CHI: a JSL1000 hand: a pursed hand (thumb touching tips of flat fingers) with raised little finger	TSU: a JSL100 hand: a pursed hand with raised little finger and ring fingers	TE: a fully extended hand, as ASLb with an extended thumb	TO: an ASLu orv, asU, but with palm facing signer
NA: au orv, but finger pointing downward	NI: a JSL2 hand: au orv pointing to the side	NU: an ASLx hand: a fist with a curled index finger	NE: 'roots' hand: an ASL5 hand pointed downward	NO: traces katakanano, making a curved sweep; like an ASLj hand
HA: the index and middle fingers extended forward, rather like ASLh	HI: a JSL1 or ASLd hand: the index finger extended upward	FU: an ASLL hand (extended index and thumb) pointed downward	HE: an ASLy hand (extended little finger and thumb) pointed downward	HO: a bentb hand facing the signer, a rotatedko
MA: an ASLw hand (thumb touches little finger) facing the signer, fingers pointing down.	MI: an ASL "w" hand, facing the signer, fingers pointing left (if signing with the Right Hand).	MU Extended index finger and thumb, with index finger pointing to the left (if signing with the Right Hand) and thumb pointing upward.	ME Western "OK" sign, but with index finger and thumb coming to a point, rather than forming a circle.	MO Hand facing upward, with middle, ring and little finger closed into a fist. Spread index finger and thumb outward, and then bring together.
	—		—
YA: an ASLy hand: extended thumb and little finger	—	YU: an ASLw hand (thumb touches little finger) facing the signer	—	YO: a JSL4 hand, an ASL4 hand pointing to the side
RA: an ASLr hand: fingers crossed	RI: a sweep likeno, but with index and middle fingers extended	RU: an ASL3 hand: extended thumb, index, & middle finger	RE: an ASLL hand: extended thumb & index finger	RO: like a two-fingerednu or an ASLx hand, with index and middle fingers curled
		WO		N
WA: an ASLw hand: thumb touches little finger, other fingers extended	—	WO: ano hand moved inward	—	N: traces the katakana: index finger sweeps down, then up to the side

• Japanese Sign Language

Wikimedia Commons has media related toJapanese Sign Language.

• The fullYubimoji list (in Japanese)

• Nyūmon - Shin Shuwa Kyōshitsu - Kōsei Rōdōshō Hōshiin Yōsei Kōza - Nyūmon Katei Taiyō (in Japanese). Zenkoku Shuwa Kenshū Senta-. 2004.ISBN 978-4-902158-11-3.

• Manual alphabet
• Japanese Sign Language family

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Japanese-language text
• Articles to be expanded from April 2019
• All articles to be expanded
• Commons category link is locally defined
• CS1 Japanese-language sources (ja)