How Do You Say Be Quiet in Sign Language

(And Why the Whisper That Silences the World Is the Same in Almost Every Culture)

I was twenty-three, sitting in a packed Tokyo subway at rush hour, when a mother lifted her sleeping toddler onto her lap and pressed one gentle finger to her lips.

The entire carriage — salarymen, schoolgirls, tourists, grandmothers — fell instantly, magically silent. No one spoke the same language, yet everyone understood.

That single, soft “shhh” floated through the air like a spell, and in that moment I felt something deeply human pass between strangers: the shared, ancient need for hush.

We all know the gesture. Index finger to lips, eyes wide or soft, the universal plea for silence. It turns out this gesture into a visual command in every sign language on earth, and the spoken “shhh” that accompanies it is one of the only truly global words we have.

Croatian mothers write it “ššš”, Persian grandmas hiss “hīs”, Spanish abuelas go “chisss”, yet every child on the planet understands it before they can speak. It is the first word we teach babies and the last sound we make in libraries, temples, and funerals. It is older than any alphabet, tenderer than most prayers.

So, how do you actually say “be quiet” in sign language?

In American Sign Language (ASL), the most Deaf people use the iconic version everyone recognizes:

Bring your index finger to your lips (the universal “shhh” gesture), then cross your flat hands at the wrists in front of your chest and smoothly pull them apart and downward, palms facing outward — like you are calming the air itself and pushing the noise away.

Some signers simply do the finger-to-lips + two hands descending motion. It feels like tucking the sound gently into bed.

British Sign Language (BSL), French Sign Language (LSF), Auslan (Australian), and many others use almost the exact same iconic form — finger on lips + a downward or calming motion.

Japanese Sign Language (JSL) adds a small twist: the finger to lips is followed by a flat hand chopping downward, like cutting the sound. But the core is always the same: the gesture hearing people have used for thousands of years became the sign, because it is already perfectly clear.

The world’s Deaf communities simply took our shared human gesture and made it grammar.

The whisper that needs no translation.

But the spoken world is far more colorful — and sometimes hilariously brutal.

A Quick-Reference Table

Language	Soft “Shhh” sound	Polite “Be quiet”	Blunt/Rude “Shut up!”	Cultural note
English	Shhh / Shush	Please be quiet	Shut up / Shut your mouth	“Silence is golden” is the cultural ideal, but we rarely achieve it.
French	Chut !	Tais-toi / Silence, s’il te plaît	Ferme-la ! / Ta gueule !	“Chut” is deliciously soft; “ta gueule” is fighting words.
Spanish (Spain)	¡Chisss! / ¡Chist!	¡Silencio! / Calla	¡Cállate la boca!	Spanish speakers often just hiss “sssss” like a snake — no “h” needed.
Italian	Zitto! / Stai zitto!	Silenzio, per favore	Chiudi quella bocca!	Italians accompany it with a sharp hand chop — very theatrical.
German	Pssst! / Schhh!	Sei still! / Ruhe!	Halt die Klappe! / Schnauze!	“Schnauze” literally means “snout” — perfect for rude days.
Portuguese	Chiu! / Psiu!	Cala-te / Silêncio	Cala a boca!	Brazilians say “cala a boca” with a smile — somehow still affectionate.
Dutch	Sssst!	Stil zijn / Sst!	Hou je bek!	The longer you stretch the “s”, the angrier you are.
Swedish	Schyy! / Tyst!	Var tyst	Håll käften!	Nordic cultures adore silence; saying it feels almost redundant.
Russian	Тсс (Tss)	Тише / Молчи (Molchi)	Заткнись (Zatknis’)	“Tss” is used even with children; very gentle.
Polish	Ciii!	Bądź cicho	Zamknij się!	Poles stretch the “iii” dramatically — like letting air out of a balloon.
Arabic	هس (Hiss) / صه (Soh)	اصمت (Usmut) / اهدأ (Ihda)	اخرس (Ikhras)	“Hiss” is the soft version used with babies across the Arab world.
Hebrew	ששש (Shhhh) / Has!	שתוק (Shtok)	שקט (Sheket)	סתום ת’פה (Stom et hapeh)
Turkish	Şşşt / Sus	Sessiz ol	Kapa çeneni!	Turks stretch the “ş” forever when truly annoyed.
Mandarin Chinese	嘘 (Xū) / 噓	安静 (Ānjìng)	闭嘴 (Bì zuǐ)	Silence is highly valued; talking too much is seen as immature.
Japanese	しーっ (Shī)	静かに (Shizuka ni)	黙れ (Damare) / うるさい (Urusai)	Silence is communication; silence is often the most polite response.
Korean	쉿 (Swit) / 조용히	조용히 해줘	닥쳐 (Dakchyeo)	Koreans use “swit” exactly like we do — universal baby language.
Hindi	चुप (Chup) / श्श्श	चुप रहो (Chup raho)	चुप कर (Chup kar)	“Chup” is instant; Bollywood villains hiss it beautifully.
Swahili	Kimya / Nyamaza	Kimya	Nyamaza!	Used in schools and churches across East Africa — very effective.
Zulu	Thula!	Thula (soft)	Thula! (sharp)	Means both “be quiet” and “sleep” — poetic and gentle.
Yoruba	Dá kẹ́	Dá lẹ́nu	Dá kẹ́!	Nigerians use it with a smile or a glare — context is everything.

(And yes, I stopped at 20 here for mercy — the full 750+ list exists, but we’d be here all day.)

European Languages

In Nordic countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark), silence is not empty — it is full. It is trust.

It is comfort. Saying “tyst” or “vær stille” feels almost unnecessary because people are already quiet.

In Mediterranean Europe, however, silence can feel like hostility. An Italian or Greek who goes quiet is either deeply offended or about to explode.

The same “shhh” gesture exists, but in Italy it’s accompanied by a dramatic hand chop, in Spain by a rapid finger wag in front of the mouth like you’re scolding a dog. The French “chut” is soft as a kiss, while “ferme-la” is a slap.

Asian Languages

Asia taught me the spiritual weight of silence.

In Japan, the word is 静かに (shizuka ni), but the real communication is the pause — the ma (間) between words. Silence is respect, contemplation, reading the air (空気を読む — kūki o yomu). Saying “urusai” (noisy!) is actually ruder than in the West because noise itself is rude.

In China, Ānjìng! is barked in classrooms, but Confucian tradition values the person who listens more than the one who speaks.

In Korea, 조용히 (joyonghi) is polite; “dakchyeo” is what you say to your little brother when he’s being unbearable.

Thailand — “ngiap” or just a soft “shhh” with prayer hands.

Vietnam — “Im lặng” or “suỵt”.

Indonesia — “Diam” (almost identical to Malay).

Philippines (Tagalog) — “Tumahimik ka” or just “shhh”.

Malaysia (Malay) — “Diam”.

Mongolia — “Namuuhan daa”.

Kazakh — “Tynysh”.

Thai — “Ngiap” or “wât”.

Cambodia (Khmer) — “Som mup”.

Laos — “Jup jup”.

Pakistan (Urdu) — “Chup” (same as Hindi).

Bangladesh (Bengali) — “Chup kor”.

Sri Lanka (Sinhala) — “Hus”.

Nepal (Nepali) — “Chup lag”.

Silence in Asia is often wisdom; speaking too much is childish.

African Languages

In many African cultures, silence is not absence of words — it is presence of respect.

A young person stays quiet in the presence of elders not out of fear, but out of reverence. The mouth is powerful; words can curse or bless, so silence is safety.

Swahili (East Africa) — “Kimya” or “nyamaza!”

Zulu (South Africa) — “Thula” (so beautiful it’s also a lullaby)

Xhosa — “Thula” too

Afrikaans (South Africa) — “Stil” or “bêk”

Yoruba (Nigeria) — “Dakẹ́”

Igbo (Nigeria) — “Mechie ọnụ”

Hausa (Nigeria/Niger) — “Yi shiru”

Amharic (Ethiopia) — “Tikum”

Oromo (Ethiopia) — “Uffaa”

Somali — “Aamus”

Arabic (North Africa) — “Skot” (Egyptian) or “Uskut”

Wolof (Senegal) — “Dëgg la”

Lingala (Congo) — “Kosenga”

Shona (Zimbabwe) — “Nyarara”

Kinyarwanda (Rwanda) — “Ceka”

Luganda (Uganda) — “Sirika”

Twi (Ghana) — “Ka w’ano mu”

Berber (Morocco/Algeria) — “Sket”

An elder says “thula” or “dakẹ́” and the ancestors themselves seem to lean in to listen.

Indigenous & Island Languages

In many indigenous cultures, silence is not empty — it is full of listening to the land, the ancestors, the wind.

Maori (New Zealand) — “Hamau” — used in the marae with immense mana

Hawaiian — “Hamau” (yes, same word — Polynesian roots)

Samoan — “Filemu”

Tongan — “Lolotu”

Fijian — “Dromu” or “Loma”

Tahitian — “Hamoe”

Inuktitut (Inuit) — “Ikaniarpuq” (be silent)

Navajo (Diné) — “Tʼááʼííłéí” or simply the hand-to-mouth gesture

Cherokee — “ᏥᎳᏍᎩᎠ (Tsisgisgoa)” or again, the universal gesture

Yugtun (Yup’ik, Alaska) — “Kesiin” or just the finger to lips

Aboriginal Yolngu (Australia) — “Wäŋa” or gesture

Quechua (Andes) — “Upa” or “Chupay”

Mapudungun (Mapuche, Chile) — “Kümey”

Guarani (Paraguay) — “Chereru”

Aymara (Bolivia) — “Ch’inyä”

Sámi (Nordic indigenous) — “Hus” or “hyst”

Hopi (Southwest US) — gesture-based, rarely verbal command

Across islands and deserts, silence is conversation with the unseen.

Proverbs About Silence From Around the World

• Japan — “The mouth is the cause of most troubles.”
• Africa (proverb) — “Silence is also speech.”
• India — “A wise man speaks because he is silent.”
• China — “He who speaks much will err much.”
• Arab — “The tongue is the neck’s enemy.”
• Russia — “The word is silver, silence is golden.”
• Italy — “He who stays silent consents.”
• Spain — “In the mouth of silence, a cannon shot is heard.”
• Germany — “Silence is the best answer to a fool.”
• Ireland — “The silent mouth is musical.”
• Cherokee — “Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.”

FAQs

Why do so many languages use some version of “sh” or “ch” or “psst”?

Because it’s onomatopoeic — it literally imitates the sound of air leaking from lips, the same way we hush. It’s one of the closest things humanity has to a true world language.

What is the oldest recorded use of telling someone to be quiet?

Latin: “Tace!” (pronounced “tah-kay”) — “Be silent!” — used in Roman courts and churches. Still used in some Catholic liturgy today.

Why do some cultures find silence uncomfortable while others find it beautiful?

High-context cultures (Japan, Finland, many Indigenous societies) see silence as full of meaning. Low-context cultures (USA, Italy, Brazil) see it as empty or awkward. Both are right — they’re just different love languages.

The Quiet That Binds Us

We are loud creatures. We invented TikTok and vuvuzelas and political talk shows that never pause for breath. Yet every single one of us — from Tokyo subway commuters to Zulu grandmothers to Cherokee elders to Italian nonnas — understands the finger to the lips.

In a world that never shuts up, the ability to create silence together is sacred.

So tell me — what is “be quiet” in your language? How do you say it when you’re angry, when you’re loving, when you’re praying? Drop it in the comments. I’ll be reading… quietly. 🤫

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