Indigenous signs for countries by region

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Links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm; additions
made as new signs are learned or images found.

Flags: World flag database.


North America

Canada (Canada)
Mexico (México)
United States of America (United States)

Central America

Belize (Belize)
Costa Rica (Costa Rica)
El Salvador (El Salvador)
Guatemala (Guatemala)
Honduras (Honduras)
Nicaragua (Nicaragua)
Panama (Panamá)

Latin America

Argentina (Argentina)
Bolivia (Bolivia)
Brazil (Brasil)
Chile (Chile)
Colombia (Colombia)
Ecuador (Ecuador)
Paraguay (Paraguay)
Peru (Perú)
Uruguay (Uruguay)
Venezuela (Venezuela)

Caribbean Basin

The Bahamas (The Bahamas)
Bermuda (Bermuda)
Cuba (Cuba)
Dominican Republic (República Dominicana)
Haiti (Haiti)
Jamaica (Jamaica)
Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico)

Scandinavia

Denmark (Danmark)
Finland (Suomi)
Iceland (Island)
Norway (Norge)
Sweden (Sverige)

Western Europe

Austria (Oesterreich)
Belgium (Belgique - België)
France (France)
Germany (Deutschland)
Greece (Ελλάς)
Greenland (Grønland/Kalaallit Nunaat)
Ireland (Eire)
Italy (Italia)
Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Monte Carlo
Netherlands (Nederland)
Portugal (Portugal)
Spain (España)
Switzerland (die Schweiz, Suisse)
United Kingdom (United Kingdom)

Eastern Europe

Albania (Shqipëria)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina)
Bulgaria (indigenous name for Bulgaria)
Croatia (Hrvatska)
Cypros (Κύπρος)
Czech Republic (Ceska Republika)
Greece (Ελλάς)
Herzegovina (Hercegovina)
Hungary (Magyarország)
Latvia (Latvija)
Lithuania (Lietuva)
Macedonia (Makedonija)
Malta (Malta)
Montenegro (Crna Gora)
Poland (Polska)
Romania (România)
Russian Federation (Российской Федерации)
Serbia (Srbija)
Slovakia (Slovensko)
Slovenia (Slovenija)
Ukraine (Ukrayina)
Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija)

Arab World (الدول العربية)

Bahrain (مملكة البحرين)
Iran (إيران)
Iraq (العراق)
Israel (ישראל)
Jordan (المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية)
Kuwait (الكويت)
Lebanon (لبنان)
Oman (سلطنة عمان)
Palestine (فلسطين)
Qatar (قطر)
Saudi Arabia (المملكة العربية السعودية)
Syria (سوريا)
Turkey (Türkiye)
United Arab Emirates (دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة)
Yemen (اليمن)

Africa

Algeria (الجزائر)
Angola (Angola)
Benin (Benin)
Comoros (Comores)
Congo (Congo)
Djibouti (جيبوتي)
Egypt (مصر)
Ethiopia (indigenous name for Ethiopia)
Gabon (Gabon)
Ghana (Ghana)
Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)
Kenya (Kenya)
Libya (ليبيا)
Mauritania (موريتانيا)
Morocco (المغرب)
Mozambique (Moçambique)
Namibia (Namibia)
Niger (Niger)
Nigeria (Nigeria)
Rwanda (Rwanda)
Somalia (Somaliya)
South Africa (Suid-Afrika)
Sudan (السودان)
Togo (Togo)
Tunisia (تونس)
Zambia (Zambia)
Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)

Asia

Afghanistan (Afghanestan)
Bangladesh (Bangladesh)
Cambodia (Kampuchea)
China (中国)
Hong Kong (香港)
India (indigenous name for India)
Indonesia (Indonesia)
Japan (日本)
Malaysia (Malaysia)
Mongolia (Mongol Uls)
Nepal (Nepala)
Pakistan (Pakistan)
Philippines (Pilipinas)
Singapore (Singapore)
South Korea (한국)
Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka's indigenous name)
Taiwan (台湾)
Thailand (Prathes Thai)
Tibet (Pö)
Vietnam (Viêt Nam)

South Pacific

Australia (Australia)
Cook Islands (Cook Islands)
Guam (Guam)
Fiji (Fiji)
New Zealand (Aotearoa)
Samoa (Samoa)
Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
Tahiti (Tahiti)
All references cited

ASL browser.

BritishSignLanguage.com.

Croatian Sign Language dictionary.

Kelly-Jones, N. and Hamilton, H. (1981). Signs everywhere. Los Alamitos, CA: Modern Signs Press, Inc.

Lazorisak, C. & A. Lazorisak. International cities & historical signs. To order.

Needs Outreach. American Sign Language for countries.

Penilla, A.

golden marble bulletAround the globe: Countries in ASL. In this presentation you will gain the knowledge of country name signs. Develop an understanding of national landmarks of respective countries. The basis of their individual name sign origin. Identify countries geographical locations. Practice manual dexterity while finger spelling individual countries. To order.

golden marble bulletAround the globe: Identification strategies. This workshop will address the identification patterns and how countries and cities around the world establish their name signs according to: Domestic identification, internal identification, and national identification. To order.

golden marble bulletAround the globe: Middle East & Islam. This presentation will help viewers in the following: Develop a visual understanding of middle eastern country locations; develop a working knowledge of the Middle East; manually demonstrate an understanding of middle eastern country name signs; build an understanding of Islamic history in a brief overview. To order.

Sandager, O. K. (1986). Sign languages around the world North Hollywood, California: OK Publ.

Savir, C. (ed.) (1992). Gateway to Israeli Sign Language. Tel Aviv: The Association of the Deaf in Israel.

Signs around the world: Countries around the world [Videotape]. Burtonsville, MD: Sign Media.

Woordenboek Nederlands - Vlaamse Gebarentaal.

Yau, S. C. (1977). The Chinese signs: lexicon of the standard Sign Language for the deaf in China. Hongkong: Chiu Ming Publishing Co.

Yin-Chee Goodstadt, R. (1972). Speaking with signs: A sign language manual for Hongkong's Deaf. Hongkong: Government Printer.


More resources for finding indigenous signs may be sought from

Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world.


Image credits

1. Multimedia Palace.

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