How to Sign “Best Friend” in ASL, and How to Show It Clearly on Camera

This list covers two things: the common ways to express “best friend” in American Sign Language, and the camera checks that help the sign come through clearly when you use it on a video call or in a recorded clip. No verified source material was supplied for this article. The sign descriptions below reflect widely taught forms, not a confirmed reference. Signs vary by region, community and age group, so check them with a Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor before you rely on them.

Ways to express “best friend” in ASL

• Crossed fingers: The index and middle fingers are crossed, the same shape as the letter R, and the hand is held up in front of the body. Many learners are taught this as a single sign for “best friend” or a very close bond. It often carries a sense of two people being tight or inseparable.
• BEST followed by FRIEND: The sign for BEST is followed by the sign for FRIEND. For FRIEND, the two index fingers hook together, then the hands flip and hook again in reverse. Spelling the idea out in two signs is more literal and can be easier for a new learner to recognize.
• Emphasized FRIEND: The FRIEND sign is made with a tighter hook or more intensity, and the facial expression usually shows that intensity too. This can signal “close friend” without a separate sign for BEST.
• Fingerspelling: Spelling B-E-S-T F-R-I-E-N-D letter by letter is understandable. It is rarely how fluent signers express the idea, so it is best treated as a fallback.

Facial expression and context are part of the meaning in ASL. Which form fits, and how natural it looks, depends on the people you are signing with. That is a judgment a fluent signer can make better than any written description.

Camera checks that keep the sign readable

• Framing: The camera should show your head, shoulders, chest and the space just in front of your body. Both the crossed-finger sign and the FRIEND sign happen at chest level, and they get lost if the frame shows only your face. This is a physical setup choice: move the camera or sit farther back.
• Lighting on hands and face: Light from the front makes the finger shapes and your expression easier to read. A bright window behind you can turn your hands into a silhouette. Some apps offer low-light adjustment, but the more reliable fix is to change where the light comes from.
• Plain, contrasting background: Busy patterns, or a background close to your skin tone, make finger shapes harder to pick out. Virtual or blurred backgrounds set in an app can sometimes cut off or smear moving hands. A real plain wall is usually safer.
• Clothing: A solid top that contrasts with your skin gives your hands a clear backdrop, much like a plain background does.
• Mirrored self-view: Many video apps flip your own preview like a mirror, while other people see the unflipped image. This can be confusing when you check which hand you are using. The setting is in the app's video options, not in the camera hardware. Your self-view tells you what you see, not necessarily what others see.
• Motion and video quality: Signing involves quick movement, and a low frame rate or a weak connection can blur the twist in FRIEND or the crossed fingers. A local preview looking sharp does not prove the other person receives a sharp image, because quality also depends on bandwidth and the app's compression.
• Camera permission: If your video does not appear at all, the cause may be in one of three places. The browser may have blocked camera access for the site. Your operating system's privacy settings may block the browser or app. Or another app may already be using the camera. Each has its own setting, so check them separately.

What this list cannot confirm

This article cannot confirm that a given form is preferred in your area or community, and no supplied evidence backs the sign descriptions. Likewise, a good camera preview on your own screen shows only that your device captures the image. It does not show how the image looks after it is sent through a particular app or network. To check both, sign to a fluent signer on the actual call platform you plan to use and ask for feedback.