How to Sign Poor in American Sign Language

In American Sign Language (ASL), POOR in the sense of having little money is signed at the elbow. Bend your non-dominant arm, place the fingertips of your dominant hand around the underside of that elbow, then pull the hand down and away while drawing the fingertips together. The movement is usually repeated.

Which meaning of poor do you need?

The English word poor covers several ideas, and ASL does not use one sign for all of them. The elbow sign described here means lacking money or resources. Other meanings usually take different signs:

• Poor as in low quality, such as poor sound or a poor result: signers usually choose a sign like BAD or a more specific description, depending on context.
• Poor as an expression of sympathy, as in poor thing or poor you: ASL has a separate sign, usually glossed PITY or SYMPATHY.
• Other sign languages: this guide covers ASL, which is used in the US. Languages such as British Sign Language are separate languages, and their signs for poor differ.

Step-by-step: signing POOR

• 1. Raise your non-dominant arm in front of your body with the elbow bent and pointing down, so the forearm is roughly level or angled slightly upward.
• 2. Open your dominant hand with the fingers spread and slightly curved.
• 3. Place those fingertips lightly around the underside of the bent elbow.
• 4. Pull your dominant hand down and slightly away from the elbow while bringing the fingertips together, ending in a flattened O handshape (fingertips meeting the thumb).
• 5. Return to the elbow and repeat the movement, typically once more.

One way to remember the sign is to picture a worn-out sleeve at the elbow. Treat this as a memory aid only. It is not a confirmed account of where the sign came from.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

• Location: your dominant hand starts at the elbow, not at the wrist, the forearm or the palm.
• Handshape change: the fingers start open and close together as the hand moves. If they stay open or start closed, the sign is incomplete.
• Direction: the movement is short and downward, away from the elbow, not sideways along the arm.
• Repetition: a doubled movement is the common form. A single, slow pull can look hesitant or unclear.
• Non-dominant arm: it stays still and acts as the base. Only the dominant hand moves.

Checking yourself in a mirror can confirm handshape, location and movement. It cannot tell you whether your signing looks natural in conversation. For that, ask a fluent signer for feedback, preferably a Deaf ASL user or a qualified instructor.

If you plan to use the sign on a video call, keep in mind that it is made lower than many face-level signs. Check your self-view to confirm that both arms and the bent elbow are inside the frame.

Limits of this guide

This guide describes the sign in its commonly taught form. It is not based on supplied reference material or tested comparisons. ASL has regional and community variation, and facial expression and context affect meaning in ways that written steps cannot fully capture. Before relying on this sign in an important conversation, compare it against a video from a reputable ASL dictionary or confirm it with a fluent signer.