START:  The American Sign Language sign for: start / begin / initiate


Hold your non-dominant hand out in a flat handshape with the fingers together except for the middle and index finger. Place the dominant index finger at the base of the non-dominant index and middle fingers and twist the dominant index hand.


 

BEGIN  or START:



 



Notes:
Also see: BEGIN

Tip: In ASL the sign WITH is not needed when using the sign START in a context such as: "...start with the letter ..."
In most situations, the sign START means "start with" / "start to" / "start from" and doesn't need an added preposition.
For example, if you want to sign "Five words that start with the letter M" you could sign: "FIVE WORD START LETTER M..."
If you are in a low-context situation you can expand this sentence by adding signs such as "EACH" or you could add at the end a type of example by signing "M"+"FINGERSPELL," lowering your hand a bit and again signing "M"+"FINGERSPELL," -- thus creating a type of "sample" list.

This is similar to not needing the sign "TO" when signing "GO."
In ASL, "GO" = "go to."
 



If you mean "start" as in "to start a car or vehicle with a key" you can depict that by miming the turning of a key in the typical location to the right of where a steering wheel would be in relation to your body.
 

turn-KEY / start vehicle / lock or unlock a door:
 


Memory aid:  The sign for "turn key to start a car" actually makes a pretty good memory aid for the sign START since both signs twist.
 




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