How to Sign "Down" in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the sign for "down" as a direction is made by pointing the index finger of your dominant hand toward the ground and moving it downward a short distance. Your dominant hand is the one you normally write with. The movement is small and controlled, roughly from chest height toward waist height.

This covers "down" in the sense of direction or location, as in going down, looking down or something being below you. If you mean another sense of the word, you may need a different sign entirely. The sections below explain the most common cases.

Step by step

• 1. Handshape: Make a loose fist with your dominant hand and extend only your index finger.
• 2. Orientation: Point the index finger toward the floor. Signers vary in whether the palm faces their body or faces down; either is commonly seen.
• 3. Starting position: Hold the hand in front of your upper body, a comfortable distance from your chest.
• 4. Movement: Move the hand straight downward a short distance. Some signers repeat this as a small double movement, especially when it functions like a noun or a repeated action.
• 5. Facial expression and context: Keep a neutral expression unless the meaning calls for emphasis. In ASL, facial expression carries grammar and tone, so a deliberate expression changes how the sign reads.

Which "down" do you mean?

English uses "down" in many expressions that ASL does not translate word for word. ASL usually signs the concept, not the English word. These are the cases most likely to change your answer.

• Direction or location (go down, downstairs, look down): Use the pointing-down sign described above. Many signers also show direction through the verb itself, for example by moving a sign like GO or LOOK downward, instead of adding a separate DOWN sign.
• Feeling down or sad: This is usually expressed with SAD. Hold both open hands, fingers spread, in front of your face with palms facing you, and draw them downward with a sad facial expression.
• Feeling depressed: DEPRESSED is a separate sign. Both hands, with the middle fingers bent toward the body, brush downward on the chest.
• Sit down: Use the sign SIT. It does not include the word "down."
• Calm down or slow down: Use CALM or SLOW. The downward idea is part of the concept, not a separate sign.
• Write down: Use WRITE.

If your phrase is not on this list, look it up as a whole idea rather than combining DOWN with another sign. Literal word-by-word signing is a common beginner mistake, and the result may be hard for fluent signers to follow.

Other sign languages

This guide describes ASL, which is the main sign language used in the United States and parts of Canada. Sign languages are not universal. British Sign Language, Auslan, Langue des Signes Française and others have their own vocabulary, and their sign for "down" may differ. If you are communicating with someone who uses another sign language, check that language's sign directly.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

• Compare your handshape, palm orientation and movement against a video entry in a reputable ASL dictionary. Written descriptions, including this one, cannot fully capture movement and speed.
• Watch the sign in a sentence, not only on its own, so you see how it combines with other signs.
• Ask a Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor for feedback when you can. Regional and generational variation exists, and a fluent signer can tell you what is natural in your community.
• If you are signing "down" for emotion, confirm that you chose SAD or DEPRESSED rather than the directional sign.

Limits of this guide

No specific source material was provided for this article, so the descriptions above reflect widely taught ASL forms rather than a cited dictionary entry. Details such as palm orientation and whether the movement repeats can vary between signers and regions. Confirm the form with a video reference or a fluent signer before relying on it in important conversations.