Learn Japanese Sign Language with Hello Kitty Hello Kitty creator Sanrio once explained that the beloved character has no mouth because she "speaks from the heart." But Hello Kitty has just learned a new language — and she doesn't need a mouth to speak it. In a new collaboration with Japanese artist Hidehiko Kado, Hello Kitty has learned how to speak Japanese Sign Language — and she's trying to teach others some simple words and phrases too! Kado is an illustrator who was born to deaf parents and became proficient in sign language at a young age. But speaking and signing weren't always enough to express how he was feeling, so he turned to art. Kado now combines art and sign language through his brand Smile Talking Hands, which teaches sign language through illustrations of different people and animals — and now, of Hello Kitty. The Hello Kitty x Smile Talking Hands Pop Up Shop opened on November 6 in Tokyo's Shibuya area. The store has T-shirts, bags and badges with illustrations of Hello Kitty signing common words and phrases, like "I love you" and "thank you." The store in Shibuya will only be open until November 19, but the products are also available for purchase online. There are around 340,000 hearing-impaired people in Japan, a 2018 survey by the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare found. According to Deaf Japan, about 60% of these hearing-impaired people use Japanese Sign Language to communicate. In July of this year, Japan passed a law officially recognizing Japanese Sign Language. According to the World Federation of the Deaf, just 41.5% of countries recognize their national sign language.