Chinese Sign Language

Chinese Sign Language (CSL) is the primary sign language used by the deaf community in mainland China. Like all sign languages, CSL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary that are distinct from spoken and written Mandarin Chinese. CSL is used by an estimated 20 million deaf and hard of hearing people in China, making it one of the most widely used sign languages in the world. The language includes both manual signs (hand shapes and movements) and non-manual markers (facial expressions, mouth movements, body posture). CSL has regional variations across China but is increasingly standardized through media, education, and government efforts. In web accessibility contexts, CSL is significant because many deaf Chinese users have limited literacy in written Chinese, meaning that text-based accessibility measures like captions may be insufficient without accompanying sign language interpretation or synthesis.