American Sign Language: "equal"

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The sign for "equal" also means "fair." Start with your hands in "bent" handshapes, a couple inches apart -- then bring them together:

EQUAL:

 

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Sample sentence:  How many days equal one month?



 

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Notes:
You may see the sign "FAIR / EQUAL" sign done with a small double motion.

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Note: The signs LEVEL and EQUAL are often signed the same by various Deaf people.
When there is a difference expressed in the signs it shows up as:
The sign LEVEL tends to start together and move apart. The sign LEVEL can also be modified so that the dominant hand moves forward to show a level road extending in front of the signer.  Also, the fingers of the sign for LEVEL are sometimes aimed forward and then the hands move toward the sides -- thus LEVEL could also mean SHELF.

The sign EQUAL tends to start a couple of inches or centimeters apart and then come together. Some people use a double movement on the sign for EQUAL but it is not necessary. The single movement tends to indicate more of a verb function "This equals that." The double movement tends to indicate more of a status function "Those two things are equal." This however is being overly specific. In real life you will see quite a bit of variety.

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Also see:  THAN

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