How to Sign “Stand Up” in Sign Language (ASL)

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), “stand up” is usually shown as two legs getting up from a surface. Your non-dominant hand is a flat palm facing up, like the floor. Your dominant hand makes a V shape with the index and middle fingers, like a pair of legs. The V starts lying on its back, then flips over so the fingertips land on the flat palm in a standing position.

This describes common ASL usage in the US. Sign languages are not universal. British Sign Language, Russian Sign Language and others have their own vocabulary, so if you need a sign for a specific country or community, check a source for that language.

Which “stand up” do you mean?

The English phrase covers several meanings, and sign languages usually express them with different signs. Make sure you are signing the right one:

• Getting up from sitting or lying down: the V-hand sign described in this guide.
• Standing in place, as a position: the V fingertips simply rest on the flat palm without the flipping motion.
• Standing up for someone, meaning defending or supporting them: a different concept that uses a different sign, not covered here.
• Stand-up comedy: a separate concept. No verified sign for it was available for this guide, so confirm with an ASL dictionary or a Deaf signer instead of improvising.

Step by step: signing “stand up” in ASL

• 1. Hold your non-dominant hand flat in front of your chest, palm facing up, fingers together. This is the ground.
• 2. Form a V with your dominant hand: index and middle fingers extended and spread, other fingers folded with the thumb holding them.
• 3. Turn the V palm up so the fingers lie back on or just above the flat palm, like legs lying down.
• 4. In one smooth motion, flip the V over so the fingertips point down and land on the flat palm, like feet planted on the floor.
• 5. Hold briefly so the end position is clear.

Facial expression and pace are part of the meaning in ASL. A quick, sharp flip with a firm expression reads more like a command, while a relaxed movement suits a neutral description such as “I stood up.”

When someone leading an event asks a whole room to rise, many signers instead raise both open hands, palms up, in an upward motion. Treat this as a situational way of directing a group rather than a replacement for the V-hand sign.

Common mistakes

• Pointing the V fingers up instead of down at the end: the fingertips represent feet, so they should land on the palm.
• Skipping the flip: without the movement, the sign reads as “stand” rather than “get up.”
• Using a single index finger: that handshape represents a whole person in other signs, not legs.
• Signing too low or off to the side, where the person watching may not see the base hand clearly.

Signing “stand up” clearly on a video call

Because both hands matter in this sign, how your camera frames you affects whether others can read it. A camera can be detected and capturing video while still showing too little of you to follow signing, so check the actual picture, not just whether the camera is on.

• Framing: keep your head, chest and the space in front of your torso in view. Sit or stand far enough back that your hands do not leave the frame during the flip.
• Lighting: light your face and hands from the front. Strong light behind you can turn your hands into silhouettes.
• Physical background: a plain, uncluttered wall that contrasts with your skin tone makes handshapes easier to see.
• Virtual backgrounds and blur: these call effects work by separating you from your surroundings, and fast hand movements can be blurred, clipped or partly erased. If your fingers look smeared or vanish in the preview, turn the effect off and use a plain physical background instead.
• Self-view: many call apps mirror your preview. The people watching typically see you un-mirrored, so do not adjust your hands based on the mirrored image.

How to check that you did it correctly

• Record a short clip of yourself signing at normal speed and watch it back. Confirm both hands stay in frame and the V clearly flips onto the palm.
• Compare your clip with a video entry in a reputable ASL dictionary, since a demonstration shows movement better than a written description.
• If possible, ask a Deaf signer or an ASL teacher to watch. They can catch regional variation or small handshape errors that self-checking misses.

Limitations of this guide

No specific dictionary entries, video references or regional surveys were provided for this article. The description above reflects widely taught ASL usage, but individual signers and regions may vary, and other sign languages use different signs. Verify with a video source or a fluent signer before using the sign in an important setting, and seek a dedicated source for meanings such as stand-up comedy or standing up for someone.