How to Sign "Ask" in American Sign Language

The quick answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the common sign for "ask" starts with your index finger pointing up. You then move your hand toward the person being asked, bending the finger into a hook as it travels. The direction of that movement is part of the meaning, because it shows who is asking whom.

This guide covers ASL, the sign language most widely used in the United States. Other sign languages, such as British Sign Language, have their own signs for "ask," so this description does not apply to them.

Step by step

• 1. Use your dominant hand, the one you normally write with.
• 2. Form the "1" handshape: index finger extended straight up, with the other fingers and thumb folded in.
• 3. Start with the hand near your body, roughly between chest and chin height.
• 4. Move the hand outward toward the person you are asking. As it moves, bend the index finger into a hook. ASL learners call this hooked shape the "X" handshape.
• 5. Finish with the hooked finger directed toward that person.

How direction changes the meaning

ASK is a directional verb. The path of the movement shows who is doing the asking and who is being asked, so you usually do not need separate signs for "I" and "you."

• I ask you: start near yourself and move toward the other person.
• You ask me: start out toward the other person and move back toward yourself.
• I ask someone who isn't present: move toward a spot in space you have already set up to stand for that person.

Other forms you may come across

Some signers use or recognize an older or alternate form in which both hands are held flat with the palms together, a bit like a pleading gesture, and are drawn toward the body. Regional and personal variation also exists. If someone you sign with regularly uses a different version, follow their usage.

Don't confuse ASK with QUESTION. QUESTION, as a noun, is commonly signed by tracing a question mark in the air with the index finger. ASK refers to the act of asking someone.

Your face carries the question

Signing ASK names the action, but it does not turn your sentence into a question. In ASL, facial expression and head position do that grammatical work. Raised eyebrows typically mark a yes-or-no question. Lowered or drawn-together eyebrows typically mark questions using who, what, where, when, why or how. If you sign the hands correctly but your face stays neutral, a signer may read your sentence as a statement.

How to check that you've got it

• The index finger starts straight and ends hooked.
• The finger bends while the hand is moving, not before or after the movement.
• The movement heads toward the person being asked, matching who is asking whom.
• Your facial expression matches the kind of sentence you mean.

Practicing in front of a mirror, or recording yourself and playing it back, lets you check the handshape, the bend and the direction against the steps above. That confirms only that your movement matches a written description. It cannot tell you whether your speed, rhythm and expression look natural to fluent signers. For that, the most reliable check is feedback from a fluent Deaf signer or an ASL instructor.

Limits of this guide

Written descriptions can't fully capture a moving sign. Finer details such as exact palm orientation, starting height and how sharply the finger hooks vary among signers and reference sources. This guide does not settle those details. To see the sign in motion, compare against a video-based ASL dictionary or learn from a qualified ASL teacher.