Japanese Sign Language

The primary sign language used by the Deaf community in Japan. Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is a distinct natural language with its own grammar, vocabulary, and syntax that differs significantly from spoken Japanese. JSL uses spatial relationships rather than particles to indicate grammatical cases, and facial expressions and gestures serve as linguistic components alongside hand movements. For many people born deaf or who lost hearing before age nine in Japan, JSL is their first language and Japanese functions more like a second language.