How Do You Say Outside in Sign Language

Say Outside in Sign Language today, I want to talk directly to you, my amazing audience who loves learning simple, meaningful signs. Have you ever felt stuck trying to express something basic during a conversation? Let me start with a quick story.

One evening, I was teaching a small group of beginners, and a little girl wanted to tell her mom to go outside. She tried different signs but couldn’t get it right. When I finally showed her the correct sign, her eyes lit up with confidence.

That moment reminded me why I’m here to guide you step-by-step so you can sign clearly, confidently, and naturally. Let’s learn it together!

A Quick Reference Table: “Outside” in 15 Sign Languages

Language	Sign Description	Cultural/Linguistic Note
American Sign Language (ASL)	Dominant flat hand sweeps outward from chest	Influenced by French Sign Language; very visual and space-oriented
British Sign Language (BSL)	Both hands draw a large circle in front, then push out	Two-handed signs are common in BSL; emphasizes expansiveness
French Sign Language (LSF)	Flat hand moves forward and slightly down from chin	Oldest documented sign language (1700s); “dehors” influence is visible
Italian Sign Language (LIS)	Index finger draws a door opening outward	Often mimics the physical act of opening Italian shutters or doors
German Sign Language (DGS)	Both “B” hands push forward and spread apart	Precise and efficient reflects cultural value of clarity
Japanese Sign Language (JSL)	Hands mimic sliding a shoji screen door open	Deeply tied to traditional architecture (fusuma and shoji doors)
Korean Sign Language (KSL)	Hands open like blooming flower, then push outward	Poetic and graceful; influenced by Korean cultural aesthetics
Chinese Sign Language (CSL)	Dominant hand arcs over head, then pushes forward	Often uses iconic “roof” reference first “under the sky” feeling
Auslan (Australian)	Similar to BSL but one-handed variation common	Relaxed, sunny vibe “outside” is almost always a happy place
Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ)	Similar to LSF but with a distinct Quebec flourish	Strong identity marker; pride in being different from ASL
Irish Sign Language (ISL)	Two hands push outward like opening heavy pub doors	Reflects Ireland’s famous door culture (brightly painted Georgian doors)
Brazilian Sign Language (Libras)	Sweeping motion with both hands, often with a smile	Warm, expressive style “fora” feels like an invitation to the street party
South African Sign Language (SASL)	One hand “opens” an imaginary gate	Influenced by apartheid-era spatial segregation “outside” once carried heavy meaning
Mexican Sign Language (LSM)	Hands mimic pushing open a heavy wooden door	Iconic of colonial-era courtyard houses
Israeli Sign Language (ISL)	Hands push outward while stepping forward slightly	Dynamic and forward-moving reflects cultural directness

European Sign Languages

In Europe, “outside” often mimics the physical act of opening doors or windows a reminder that for centuries, European homes were built to keep the cold out. French LSF sweeps the hand forward as if stepping into the bustling streets of Paris. Italian LIS literally draws a door opening, because in Italy, life spills from the house into the piazza the moment the shutters creak open. German DGS is crisp, almost architectural two hands pushing space apart like clearing room for clarity.

Asian Sign Languages

In East Asia, “outside” often begins with the idea of leaving the house and the house is sacred. Japanese Sign Language slides invisible shoji screens apart with reverence. In Chinese Sign Language, many signers first trace a roof over their head, then push their hand into the open sky a beautiful reminder that “outside” literally means “under the heavens” (天 tiān). Korean and Taiwanese signers often add a gentle blooming motion, as if the world outside is a flower opening.

In South Asia (Indian Sign Language, Pakistani Sign Language) and the Middle East (Arabic-family sign languages like Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian), the sign is frequently a push away from the body, but the facial expression changes everything: excitement in summer, dread in sandy windstorms, joy when the call to prayer echoes in the open air.

African Sign Languages

In many African deaf communities, “inside” is the family compound; “outside” is where life actually happens. Ethiopian Sign Language pushes both hands outward like opening the gate to the village. Tunisian Sign Language uses a sweeping motion that feels like stepping into the medina’s chaos and color. In Ghanaian Sign Language, the sign is often accompanied by a head tilt toward the sun because outside is where the heat, the market, the stories, and the ancestors live.

Indigenous and Island Sign Languages

For many indigenous communities, the concept of “outside” is almost philosophical.

In Inuit Sign Language (Iñupiaq, Canada/Greenland), the sign references pushing out of an igloo or tent into the vast tundra the same motion whether you’re escaping cold or stepping into the midnight sun.

Hawaiian Sign Language (‘Ōlelo Ho‘ailona) sweeps hands outward like the trade winds that never stop moving across the islands.

Plains Indian Sign Language (used historically across Native American nations) uses a broad horizontal sweep because the prairie has no walls.

Māori deaf New Zealanders often incorporate a slight upward tilt looking to Ranginui, the sky father who embraces everything outside the wharenui (meeting house).

Cultural Insights

Across history, “outside” has carried weight:

• In medieval Europe, to be put “outside” the city walls meant exile or plague.
• In ancient China, scholars “went outside” the palace to find truth among common people.
• In many Aboriginal Australian cultures, the most important knowledge is held “outside” in the desert, under the stars, on Country.
• During apartheid, South African deaf people used “outside” as subtle resistance meeting in open parks where surveillance was harder.

Proverbs and Sayings About “Outside” in Sign Languages

• ASL proverb (signed): “The heart grows bigger outside four walls.”
• JSL saying: “Slide the door the world is waiting with both hands open.”
• French LSF expression: “Dehors, même la pluie chante.” (Outside, even the rain sings.)
• Kenyan Sign Language wisdom: “A story kept inside dies; a story taken outside feeds the village.”

FAQs :

Why do so many sign languages use a pushing/opening motion?

Because it’s iconic. Humans have been opening doors, curtains, tents, and gates for 300,000 years. Sign languages love transparency they show the world as it is.

What’s the oldest known sign for “outside”?

Archaeological evidence is scarce, but 18th-century French records already show the LSF outward sweep and it’s nearly identical to signs used in Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (1600s–1900s).

Are there sign languages with completely different concepts?

Yes some village sign languages (like Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language) use a simple point away from the tent, because their world is circular and the “outside” is everything beyond the fire’s light.

Final Thought

Every sign language on Earth from the arctic to the equator has found a way to say “outside.”

Because no matter where we are born, we all know the feeling of crossing a threshold: heart beating faster, air hitting the face, the sudden bigness of the world.So next time you step through a doorway, pause.Feel the universal rush we all share.Now it’s your turn tell me in the comments:

---