Japanese Sign Language Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Japanese Sign Language
Native to	Japan
Native speakers	320,000 (1986)
Language family	Japanese Sign Language family Japanese Sign Language
Official status
Regulated by	Japanese Federation of the Deaf

Japanese Sign Language, often called JSL or NS, is the main sign language used by deaf people in Japan. It's how they communicate using their hands, body, and facial expressions.

The History of Japanese Sign Language
- Supporting JSL in Japan
How Japanese Sign Language Works
- Examples of JSL Signs
Images for kids
See also

The History of Japanese Sign Language

The Tokyo School for the Blind and Deaf, around 1900.

The first school for deaf students in Japan opened in Kyoto in 1878. Later, in 1900, the Tokyo School for the Deaf was started.

By 1948, it became a rule that all deaf children had to go to school. This helped more people learn and use sign language.

In the late 1900s, Japanese Sign Language started to get more recognition. People began to understand its importance as a real language.

Supporting JSL in Japan

The Japanese Federation of the Deaf is an important group. It supports Japanese people whose main language is JSL. They work to make sure JSL users have equal rights and opportunities.

JSL even has a special friend in the Imperial family of Japan. Kiko, Princess Akishino has learned JSL and is a trained sign language interpreter. She often uses JSL at informal gatherings with deaf people.

In 2006, the Japanese government made a change to a law called the "Supporting Independence of People with Disabilities Act." This new part of the law encourages local governments to have more JSL interpreters available. It also helps more people use JSL in daily life.

How Japanese Sign Language Works

Just like spoken languages, JSL (which is usually called shuwa, meaning "hand talk") has its own words and grammar rules. These words are signs made with hands, and the grammar shows how to put them together.