How Do You Say Nice in Sign Language:Step-by-Step Guide

I was in a crowded Marrakech souk, hopelessly lost, clutching a crumpled paper map that might as well have been written in ancient hieroglyphs. A teenage boy noticed my panic, smiled, took the map, turned it 90 degrees, and gently pointed me toward the riad I’d been circling for an hour.

No common spoken language between us—just a warm “shukran” from me and his soft “ça va” in French-tinged Darija. Then he did something I’ll never forget: he placed his right hand flat on his chest, made a small circle, and brought the hand forward with palm up.

I didn’t know it then, but he had just signed “thank you… and you’re welcome” in a universal gesture of kindness.

The Universal Sign for “Nice”

In most sign languages (American ASL, French LSF, Japanese JSL, Turkish İşaret Dili, and dozens more), “nice” is signed by gently brushing the palm of one hand forward across the palm of the other, or by sliding the dominant hand forward over the non-dominant hand in a smooth, pleasing motion.

It literally feels “smooth” and “pleasant” in your hands.

The metaphor is so intuitive that unrelated sign languages invented almost identical signs independently. That’s the closest thing we have to proof that kindness is hard-wired into humans.

But spoken languages? They took wildly different paths.

Quick Reference Table:

Language	Word / Phrase for “Nice”	Literal Meaning / Cultural Note
American Sign Language (ASL)	(brush palm over palm forward)	Same root motion as “clean”, “smooth”, “pleasant” – kindness feels smooth
French Sign Language (LSF)	(same palm-over-palm motion)	Identical to ASL despite no historical contact until the 1970s
French	Gentil / Sympa / Agréable	“Gentil” originally meant “of noble birth” – kindness was once aristocratic
Spanish	Simpático / Amable / Bonito	“Simpático” literally “feels with you” – empathy is central
Italian	Gentile / Simpatico / Bello	“Gentile” still carries the old meaning “noble, courteous”
Portuguese	Simpático / Gentil / Legal	“Legal” = “cool/nice” – Brazil’s favorite casual compliment
German	Nett / Schön / Angenehm	“Nett” comes from “need” – being nice once meant not being a burden
Dutch	Aardig / Leuk	“Aardig” = “of the earth” – grounded, down-to-earth kindness
Swedish	Trevlig / Snäll	“Trevlig” literally “three-pleasures” – someone who gives pleasure thrice!
Russian	Приятный (Priyatny) / Милый	“Priyatny” from “to accept” – nice = acceptable to the soul
Polish	Miły / Sympatyczny	“Miły” from Proto-Slavic “love” – same root as “darling”
Greek	Ωραύος (Oraios) / Ευγενικός	“Oraios” originally meant “in the right hour/season” – timely kindness
Turkish	Güzel / Kibar / Hoş	“Güzel” also means “beautiful” – inner and outer beauty are the same word
Arabic	لطيف (Lateef) / جميل (Jameel)	“Lateef” = gentle, subtle, refined – used for people and for God
Hebrew	נחמד (Neh-hem-ad)	Literally “pleasant” – root same as Noah’s name “comfort”
Mandarin Chinese	好 (Hǎo) / 和气 (Héqì)	Single syllable “hǎo” means good, nice, kind, okay – everything positive in one breath
Cantonese	好 (Hou) / 好人心 (Hou sam yan)	“Good-heart person” – kindness is explicitly a heart quality
Japanese	優しい (Yasashii)	Written with characters “gentle” + “abundant” – overflowing gentleness
Korean	착하다 (Chakhada) / 친절하다	“Chakhada” literally “good-hearted” – same hanja as Japanese 優しい
Hindi	अच्छा (Acchā) / सुशील (Sushīl)	“Acchā” is the Swiss-army knife of approval – okay, good, nice, tasty… everything!
Bengali	ভালো (Bhalo) / সুন্দর (Shundor)	“Bhalo” also means “well” as in health – kindness and wellness intertwined
Thai	น่ารัก (Nâa-rák) / สุภาพ (Sù-phâap)	“Nâa-rák” literally “worthy of love” – the ultimate compliment
Vietnamese	Tốt / Dễ thương	“Dễ thương” = “easy to love”
Indonesian	Baik / Bagus	“Baik” means both “good” and “kind” – moral and aesthetic goodness merged
Swahili	Mzuri / -ema	“-ema” root means “good” in dozens of Bantu languages – shared across East Africa
Zulu	Muhle / Mnhle	Pronounced “moo-hleh” – also means “beautiful”
Yoruba	Dara / Rere	“Rere” literally “good-good” – doubled for emphasis
Amharic	Konjo	Same word for “beautiful” and “nice” – Ethiopia’s favorite compliment
Māori	Pai / Ataahua	“Pai” = good, excellent; used for people, weather, food – everything positive
Hawaiian	Maikaʻi	Means good, nice, fine, handsome, beautiful – one word for all positive qualities
Samoan	Manaia	Means nice, beautiful, excellent – also the name of the traditional male tattoo
Cherokee	ᎣᏍᏓ (Osda) / ᎤᏓᎸᏓ (Udalvda)	“Osda” = good; kindness is a state of being in balance with the world
Inuit (Inuktitut)	Mauliqtuq	Literally “it is good-making” – kindness as an active process
Quechua	Allin / Sumaq	“Allin” = good; “sumaq” = beautiful/delicious – again, aesthetics and morality overlap
Navajo	Nizhóní	Famous word meaning beautiful, nice, good – used in the beauty way ceremonies
Icelandic	Góður / Skemmtilegur	“Góður” shares root with English “good” – 1,000-year-old connection

European Languages:

In most European languages, words for “nice” started life meaning “noble” (French gentil, Italian gentile, Spanish gentil). Being kind was originally an upper-class obligation. Over centuries the words trickled down until today anyone can be gentil.

Scandinavian languages took a different route: Swedish snäll, Danish sød, Norwegian snill all come from the idea of being “sweet” or “lovable” – kindness as emotional warmth rather than aristocratic duty.

Asian Languages:

In East Asia, “nice” is almost never separated from harmony. Japanese yasashii and Korean chakhada both literally mean “gentle abundance” – kindness is gentleness that overflows.

In Chinese, the single syllable hǎo covers “good/nice/kind/well/ok” – because if something is morally good, it is automatically pleasant. The Indian subcontinent’s acchā / bhalo work the same magic: one word for ethical goodness, aesthetic beauty, and simple approval.

African Languages:

Across hundreds of Bantu languages, the root -ema or -zuri means “good” in the widest sense: good person, good weather, good harvest. In Yoruba, to call someone rere is to say they are “good-good” – goodness doubled. In many African societies, there is no greater insult than to be called “not nice” because it implies you have broken the web of reciprocity that holds the community together.

Indigenous & Island Languages:

From Māori pai to Hawaiian maikaʻi to Navajo nizhóní, indigenous languages frequently use the exact same word for “nice,” “beautiful,” and “good.” Why? Because in many traditional worldviews, a person who is out of balance cannot be beautiful, and a beautiful person is by definition kind. Kindness is living in hózhó – the Navajo concept of beauty, harmony, and goodness all wrapped together.

Cultural Insights:

The English word “nice” itself has one of the wildest journeys in the language.

In the 1300s it came from Latin nescius = “ignorant.” By Shakespeare’s time it meant “foolish, wanton.” Only in the 18th century did it finally settle on “pleasant.” So when you call someone “nice” in modern English, you’re using a word that spent 500 years insulting people before it learned manners.

Proverbs About Kindness From Around the World

• Arabic: “اللطف يفتح أبواباً لا تفتحها القوة” “Kindness opens doors that strength cannot.”
• Japanese: “優しさは鏡のようなもの。自分に返ってくる” “Kindness is like a mirror. It comes back to you.”
• Yoruba: “Ọwọ́ ẹni tí ó dára ló ń mú kí ọrun dára” “The hand that is kind is what makes heaven sweet.”
• Hawaiian: “He aloha no ke kanaka e mālama i ka ʻāina” “Love exists for the person who cares for the land.” (Kindness extends to earth itself)
• Zulu: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” “A person is a person through other people.” (Ubuntu – I am because we are kind to each other)

FAQs

Q: Why do so many sign languages use the same motion for “nice”?

A: The metaphor is intuitive – kindness feels “smooth” and “pleasant” to the touch. When deaf communities invented their languages independently, their bodies arrived at the same poetic solution.

Q: What’s the oldest known word for “nice”?

A: Sumerian c. 3000 BCE had the word sag̃ “good, pleasant, kind” – still written with the same cuneiform sign 𒆳 for 5,000 years.

Q: Are there cultures where “being nice” is not valued?

A: Even in cultures that prize directness (German, Dutch, Russian), the words for “blunt but kind” exist because people still distinguish cruelty from honesty. Kindness always wins in the end.

Q: Why do beautiful and nice share words in so many languages?

A: Because traditional worldviews often saw no separation: a good heart creates beauty, and beauty inspires goodness.

Conclusion:

Learning how to say “Nice” in sign language is easier than you think. By following this step-by-step guide, you can confidently express kindness and positivity to everyone, whether you’re communicating with friends, family, or the Deaf community. Practice regularly, observe the correct hand movements, and soon signing “Nice” will feel natural. Remember, every small gesture in sign language strengthens connection and understanding. Start today, and make your interactions more inclusive and meaningful!

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