How to Sign “How Are You?” in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the usual way to ask “How are you?” or “How are you doing?” is two signs: HOW, then YOU. ASL doesn’t need separate signs for “are” or “doing.” What makes it a question is your facial expression, not extra words.

Which sign language this covers

Sign language is not universal. Each country or community has its own language with its own vocabulary and grammar. This guide covers ASL, which is used in the United States and parts of Canada. If you need British Sign Language, Russian Sign Language or another language, the signs will be different, and this guide doesn’t describe them. In that case, check with a teacher or reference resource for that specific language.

Step by step: signing “How are you?” in ASL

• 1. Make the HOW sign. Bend the fingers of both hands and put the backs of the bent fingers together in front of your chest, palms facing down or toward you. Roll both hands forward and up together so the palms end up facing upward.
• 2. Make the YOU sign. Point your index finger at the person you’re asking.
• 3. Add the question expression while you sign. For questions that ask for information, like who, what, where or how, ASL signers usually lower or draw their eyebrows together and may tilt their head slightly forward. Hold this expression through the whole question.
• 4. Keep it relaxed. In casual conversation the two signs often flow together as one smooth movement.

The facial expression is part of the grammar, not just emotion. If you make the signs with a blank face, the question may be unclear or come across differently than you intend.

Common replies

• FINE: Spread the fingers of one hand open and tap your thumb against the center of your chest.
• GOOD: Start with the fingertips of a flat hand near your chin, then move the hand down and forward. Many signers bring it down into the palm of the other hand.
• To return the question, sign YOU and point back at the other person with a questioning expression. This works like “And you?”

Limits of a written description

Signs involve handshape, movement, location and facial expression all at once, and text can only approximate them. There are also regional and personal variations, and greetings vary in how casual they are. This guide wasn’t built from specific source material for these signs. Before you use them in an important conversation, check them against a video dictionary, a qualified ASL instructor, or a Deaf signer.

Signing it clearly on a video call

If you plan to use the greeting on camera, keep three things separate. The browser or system can have camera access granted, the camera can capture video successfully, and the other person can still see your signs clearly. All three need to work.

• Framing: Sit back far enough that your face and the space in front of your chest are both in frame. HOW is signed at chest height, so a tight head-and-shoulders crop can cut it off.
• Lighting: Light your face and hands from the front. A bright window behind you can turn your hands into silhouettes and make facial expressions hard to read.
• Background: A plain physical background that contrasts with your skin and clothing makes hand shapes easier to follow.
• Virtual backgrounds and blur: Call apps that replace or blur the background have to guess where you end and the background begins. Fast-moving hands can blur, flicker or partly disappear. If that happens, switch the effect off and use a plain real background.
• Check the result: Use your call app’s self-view or record a short test clip of yourself signing HOW and YOU. Watch it back and confirm that both signs and your eyebrows are clearly visible.