How to Sign Yesterday in American Sign Language

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), the sign for yesterday is made with your dominant hand. Touch the tip of your extended thumb to your cheek near the corner of your mouth, then move it back along your jaw toward your ear. Backward movement is the key idea, because ASL places the past behind the signer.

There are two common handshapes. Some signers close the fingers into a fist with the thumb sticking up, called the A or 10 handshape. Others extend the thumb and little finger, called the Y handshape. Both are widely recognized. The location and backward movement matter more than which of the two you choose.

This guide covers ASL, the sign language most used in the United States and English-speaking Canada. British Sign Language, Auslan and other sign languages are separate languages with their own signs for yesterday. If you are communicating with someone who uses a different sign language, don't assume the ASL version will be understood.

Step-by-step: forming the sign

• 1. Choose your dominant hand, the one you write with, and use it consistently.
• 2. Form the handshape: either a loose fist with the thumb pointing up (A/10), or a fist with the thumb and little finger extended (Y).
• 3. Place the tip of your thumb on the cheek on the same side as your signing hand, close to the corner of your mouth or chin.
• 4. Move your hand back in a small arc toward your ear, following the line of your jaw.
• 5. Finish with the thumb near the jaw just in front of the ear. Many signers touch the face at the start and lightly again at the end. Others make a single smooth backward movement.
• 6. Keep your facial expression neutral or matched to what you are saying. The sign itself doesn't need exaggerated expression.

How to check that you are signing it correctly

Watch yourself in a mirror and confirm three things. Your thumb starts at the cheek near the mouth. Your hand moves backward, toward the ear, not forward or down. The sign stays on the same side of your face as your signing hand. If all three are true, the basic form is right.

A mirror can confirm handshape, location and direction. It can't tell you whether your rhythm, size and facial grammar look natural to fluent signers. For that, ask a Deaf signer or a qualified ASL instructor, or compare your signing against a reputable ASL video dictionary.

Don't confuse it with tomorrow

The ASL sign for tomorrow uses a similar thumb-up handshape at a similar spot on the cheek, but it moves forward, away from the face. The direction tells you the meaning: backward means past (yesterday), and forward means future (tomorrow). If your hand drifts forward at the end of yesterday, a viewer may read it as tomorrow.

Common mistakes

• Moving the hand forward instead of back, which turns it into tomorrow.
• Starting at the ear and moving toward the mouth, which reverses the direction.
• Placing the sign in the middle of the chin or on the opposite cheek.
• Switching hands between signs, which makes your signing harder to follow.
• Making the movement too large; it is a small arc along the jaw.

Limits of this guide

No specific source evidence was supplied for this article, so it describes the sign as it is generally taught in ASL. Signs vary by region, community, age group and individual. You may see slightly different starting points, a single or double touch, or one handshape preferred over the other. For a sign you plan to use regularly, check it with a fluent signer in the community you'll be communicating with.