How to Sign "Which" in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the commonly taught sign for WHICH uses both hands. Make each hand into a loose fist with the thumb pointing up, like the letter A with the thumb raised. Hold both hands in front of your body with the thumbs up, then move them up and down alternately, so that one hand rises as the other lowers. Pair the movement with a questioning facial expression: brows drawn down and together, and the head tilted slightly forward.

This guide covers ASL, the sign language used in the United States and parts of Canada. Sign languages are not universal. British Sign Language, Auslan, Langue des Signes Française and others have their own signs for this idea, so if you are communicating in another sign language, the form described here may not apply.

Which meaning of "which" do you need?

English uses "which" in two quite different ways. The meaning you intend changes whether the sign is needed at all.

• As a question word ("Which one do you want?"): use the ASL sign WHICH described in this guide.
• As a connecting word inside a sentence ("The book, which I finished yesterday, was long"): ASL usually does not translate this word directly. Signers typically restructure the sentence or mark the descriptive part with facial expression and head position instead of signing WHICH.

If you are translating an English sentence word for word, check whether "which" is actually asking a question. If it is not, signing WHICH will usually read as a question to an ASL user and may confuse your meaning.

Step by step

• 1. Handshape: close each hand into a relaxed fist and lift the thumb so it points upward. The thumb rests alongside the fist rather than tucked inside it.
• 2. Position: bring both hands in front of your chest or upper abdomen, a comfortable distance apart, with the thumbs pointing up and the palms facing roughly toward each other.
• 3. Movement: raise one hand while lowering the other, then switch, repeating the alternating motion a couple of times. The motion is small and smooth, like weighing two options on a scale.
• 4. Facial expression: lower and draw your eyebrows together and lean your head slightly forward while you sign. In ASL this expression is part of the grammar of a question that asks for information, not an optional extra.
• 5. Placement in the sentence: ASL question words often appear at the end of the question, and sometimes at both the beginning and the end. For example, a question about a preferred color might be signed as YOUR FAVORITE COLOR WHICH, with the question expression held over the question.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

Watching yourself in a mirror, or recording a short practice clip, lets you compare your signing against these points:

• Both thumbs point upward throughout the movement rather than tilting toward each other or forward.
• The hands move in alternation, not up and down together. Moving both hands in the same direction at the same time is a different motion.
• The movement stays compact and in front of your torso rather than swinging widely.
• Your eyebrows are lowered and drawn together during the question. Raised eyebrows typically signal a yes-or-no question in ASL, which is a different kind of question.
• The sign sits naturally within the question, often at the end, rather than being inserted wherever "which" appears in the English sentence.

A self-check confirms that your handshape, movement and expression match the description. It cannot confirm that your signing looks natural to fluent signers, or that it matches the variant used in a particular community. Feedback from a Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor is the reliable way to check those.

Limitations and next steps

No supporting source material was supplied for this article, so the description above reflects the form of WHICH that is widely taught in introductory ASL. It is not drawn from a specific dictionary entry or video. Like many signs, WHICH can vary by region, community and individual signer, and written descriptions of movement are easy to misread. Before relying on the sign in an important conversation, compare it with a video demonstration from a reputable ASL dictionary or learning resource, ideally one featuring Deaf signers, and ask the people you sign with which form they use.