How to Sign "Help" and "Help Me" in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), you sign HELP by making a fist with your dominant hand, thumb pointing up, and resting it on the flat, upturned palm of your other hand. Then you lift both hands together. To sign "help me," you change the direction of the movement so it travels toward your own body. ASL builds the meaning "help me" into the motion, so you usually don't need a separate sign for "me."

Which kind of "help" sign do you need?

People who search for a sign for help usually want one of two different things, and the answer depends on which one you mean:

• The ASL word HELP, used in ordinary conversation, as in "Can you help me?" or "I'll help you."
• A silent distress gesture, often called the signal for help. It is meant to show quietly, for example on a video call, that someone is in danger and needs assistance.

These are not interchangeable. The distress gesture is not part of ASL, and many Deaf signers would read it as a gesture rather than a word. Both are covered below, in separate sections.

How to sign HELP in ASL

• 1. Hold your non-dominant hand flat in front of your chest with the palm facing up. This is your base hand. If you are right-handed, your base hand is your left hand.
• 2. Make a fist with your dominant hand, with the thumb pointing up, like a thumbs-up. Learners often call this an A-handshape with the thumb extended.
• 3. Rest the little-finger side of the fist on the palm of your base hand.
• 4. Lift both hands upward together a short distance, as if the base hand were boosting the fist up.

Keep the movement small and smooth, and keep the fist touching the palm while both hands rise. Some signers use a short forward movement instead of a straight lift. ASL varies by region and community, so you may see small differences.

How to sign HELP ME and HELP YOU

HELP is a directional verb, which means the direction of the movement shows who is helping whom. You don't add separate pronouns. The direction carries that meaning.

Meaning | Starting position | Movement

Help (general, or a request with no clear target) | Stacked hands in front of the chest | Lift upward

Help me (you help me) | Stacked hands held out toward the other person | Move the hands back toward your own chest

I help you | Stacked hands near your own chest | Move the hands outward toward the other person

Some learners also point to their chest (the sign ME) after HELP for extra clarity. That is understandable, but the directional movement on its own is the more natural way to say it.

Adding urgency or politeness

In ASL, facial expression is part of the grammar, not decoration. For a question such as "Can you help me?", raise your eyebrows and lean slightly forward while you sign. For an urgent request, use a tense, concerned expression and a sharper, repeated movement. To make the request polite, add PLEASE: place your flat dominant hand on your chest and move it in a small circle.

How to check that you're signing it correctly

Practice in front of a mirror or a camera preview so you can see yourself the way another person would. Look for these signs that you have it right:

• Your thumb points up, not sideways, and the fist sits on the base hand's palm.
• Both hands move together. The fist does not lift off the palm on its own.
• For "help me," the motion clearly ends closer to your body than where it started.
• Your face shows the matching expression: raised eyebrows for a question, concern for urgency.
• If you are on a video call, your face and both hands stay visible in the frame during the whole sign.

A self-check confirms that your handshape, placement and direction match the description. It doesn't confirm that a fluent signer will read your sign naturally, and it won't catch regional variants. To check that, ask a Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor for feedback, or compare your sign with a video demonstration from a reputable ASL source. This guide is based on general descriptions of the sign, not on supplied reference material, so a visual demonstration is worth checking.

The silent hand signal for help

The silent signal for help is a one-handed gesture that has been shared widely as a way to show distress without speaking, including on video calls. To make it:

• 1. Hold one hand up with your palm facing the other person or the camera.
• 2. Tuck your thumb into your palm.
• 3. Fold your fingers down over the thumb, trapping it.

This gesture only works if the person who sees it recognizes it, and many people won't. It is not a formal emergency protocol, and it doesn't contact anyone by itself. If you see someone use it, a cautious response is to check in with them in a way that doesn't alert anyone who may be nearby, such as asking yes-or-no questions. If they appear to be in immediate danger, contact emergency services.

Limits of this guide

The signs described here are ASL, which is used mainly in the United States and parts of Canada. Other sign languages, such as British Sign Language, have their own signs, and some of them look different, so check the local language if you are signing outside ASL. In a real emergency, don't rely on a hearing person understanding ASL. In the US, many areas let you text 911, and Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers can also reach help through relay services. Availability varies by location, so confirm what works in your area ahead of time.