How to Sign Listen and Listening in ASL

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the sign most often taught for LISTEN is made near the ear with your dominant hand. Form a bent 3 handshape: thumb, index finger and middle finger extended, with the index and middle fingers bent at the knuckles. Rest the thumb tip at or just beside your ear, then bend the two fingers down once or twice, as if catching sound and drawing it in.

This article covers ASL because it is the main sign language in the US. Other sign languages, such as British Sign Language, use different signs, so the answer changes if you need a language other than ASL.

Limitation: no source material, such as a dictionary entry or a video, was supplied for this guide. The description follows how the sign is widely taught, but handshapes and movement can vary between regions, schools and individual signers. To confirm the exact form, watch a fluent signer or check a reputable ASL video dictionary.

How to form the sign step by step

• 1. Use your dominant hand: your right hand if you are right-handed, your left if you are left-handed.
• 2. Extend your thumb, index finger and middle finger, and fold the ring and little fingers into your palm. This is the 3 handshape.
• 3. Bend the index and middle fingers slightly at the knuckles so the hand looks like a loose claw.
• 4. Bring the hand up beside the ear on the same side, with the thumb tip touching or nearly touching the ear.
• 5. Bend the index and middle fingers downward once or twice while the thumb stays in place near the ear.
• 6. Keep the movement small and relaxed. The location at the ear carries much of the meaning.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

• Watch yourself in a mirror and confirm that the thumb stays anchored at the ear while only the two bent fingers move.
• Compare your handshape with a video of a fluent ASL signer. A mirror shows your own movement but cannot show whether it matches standard usage.
• If you can, ask a Deaf signer or an ASL teacher for feedback. That is the most reliable check, because they can also tell you which local variant is common.

Signing 'listening'

ASL does not normally add a separate sign for the English -ing ending. To say someone is listening, signers usually use LISTEN and let context, word order and facial expression show that the action is ongoing. Repeating or holding the movement can also suggest continuing action. Signing Exact English (SEE), a manual system that follows English grammar, does have a marker for -ing. If you are learning ASL itself, you generally will not use it.

Do not confuse LISTEN with HEAR

Sign | Typical form | Meaning

LISTEN | Bent 3 handshape, thumb at the ear, fingers bend down | To listen or pay attention to sound

HEAR | Index finger points to or touches the ear | To hear or perceive sound

Cupped hand behind the ear | Open, curved hand behind the ear | A common gesture some people use for listening; check whether it is acceptable in your context

Because these forms are close in location, the handshape and movement are what tell them apart. If a signer reads your sign as HEAR, look first at whether your thumb is anchored at the ear and whether the two bent fingers are actually moving.