Thank You in Sign Language: ASL Signs, Variations, and Tips
Few hand movements feel as immediately familiar as the one people copy when they sign thank you: a flat hand starting near the chin. The movement looks simple, but direction and starting position separate a genuine thank-you from the lookalike sign GOOD, and the language system behind it matters just as much. American Sign Language, Signed Exact English, and British Sign Language each treat gratitude differently — and those systems are not interchangeable.
Signs covered: 10+ basic signs including thank-you, good, please, sorry, bye, hungry, thirsty, everything, thankful, and the ASL alphabet ·
ASL vs SEE: SEE stands for Signed Exact English, not American Sign Language ·
Universality: Sign languages are not universal; ASL and BSL use different signs ·
Confusion pair: Good and thank-you both start near the chin in ASL
Quick snapshot
- ASL’s THANK-YOU uses a flat hand with fingers together, starting near the chin and moving forward (Strong ASL’s video dictionary).
- THANK-YOU is aimed at the person being thanked, while GOOD drifts downward (Lifeprint’s ASL dictionary).
- BSL’s THANK-YOU starts with fingertips at the chin and moves down and away from the signer (British Sign’s BSL dictionary).
- The dictionary status of popularized baby gestures such as stomach rubbing is often unclear; many are home signs rather than standard ASL.
- Whether any single public-figure name sign is accepted by all Deaf ASL users cannot be confirmed without a cited Deaf-led source.
- Two-handed or repeated THANK-YOU variants depend on context and signing intonation.
- Next learning step: distinguish THANK-YOU from GOOD before building the rest of your polite-sign bundle. (SignBSL’s community dictionary)
- BSL dictionaries classify THANK-YOU as a conversational expression of gratitude (SignBSL’s community dictionary).
- Learn thank-you, please, sorry, you’re welcome, and bye as one polite-sign set, then add feelings signs like hungry and thirsty.
- Pick ASL resources over SEE materials if your goal is conversation with Deaf ASL signers.
Key facts at a glance
Eight reference rows, one pattern: the same chin-level starting point leads to very different meanings depending on the language system and the direction of the hand.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| ASL thank-you | One flat hand starts near the chin and moves away from the body; facial expression adds sincerity (HandSpeak’s ASL dictionary). |
| SEE | Signed Exact English is not ASL; it follows English grammar and word order. |
| BSL thank-you | In British Sign Language, the hand starts at the chin and moves down and away, but BSL is a separate language from ASL. |
| Sign-language universality | No single universal sign language exists; ASL and BSL differ. |
| Facial grammar | Eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and head movement carry grammar in ASL. |
| THANK-YOU vs GOOD | Both start near the chin; THANK-YOU aims at the person, GOOD is more downward-oriented. |
| Direction | THANK-YOU can be oriented toward the person being thanked. |
| Stronger gratitude | Repeated or two-handed movement can express “many thanks” in context. |
The implication: repetition and two-handed forms add intensity, but the core direction rule stays the same regardless of emphasis.
Which sign is used to thank you?
The ASL sign for thank-you is one of the first signs beginners learn, and one of the most frequently misread. THANK-YOU uses a flat hand that starts near the chin and moves forward, and Lifeprint’s ASL dictionary is explicit about the detail most people miss: the sign is aimed at the person being thanked. GOOD starts in the same neighborhood but drifts downward, which is why the two signs are often confused even though they are not identical.
How do you sign “thank you” in ASL step by step?
- Handshape: flat dominant hand, fingers together, thumb relaxed.
- Starting point: fingertips near the chin or lips.
- Movement: forward and slightly outward, toward the person being thanked.
- Finish: let the hand settle; the palm can rotate so it ends facing up (Strong ASL’s video dictionary).
- Expression: match your face to the tone — a warm smile for casual thanks, a more earnest look for real gratitude.
HandSpeak’s dictionary entry adds that THANK-YOU works as a polite expression for a gift, service, compliment, or an accepted or refused offer, that the same sign can be used for THANKS, and that it can be inflected to show subject-object relationships such as THANK-HIM or THANK-HER. Repeated or two-handed movement can express stronger gratitude (the equivalent of “many thanks”) depending on context and signing intonation, HandSpeak notes (HandSpeak).
THANK-YOU and GOOD share a chin-level starting point. Let the hand drift down instead of forward and you may have just signed GOOD to someone who expected gratitude.
What is the difference between “good” and “thank you” in ASL?
- THANK-YOU: flat hand from the chin, moving forward toward the person.
- GOOD: flat hand from the chin, moving downward and slightly forward.
- Shared starting zone: both begin near the chin, which is why they get mixed up.
The takeaway is simple: if the hand travels forward, you are thanking; if it drops downward, you are describing something as good. Keep that direction rule in mind and most confusion disappears.
How do you sign “thankful” in ASL?
- THANKFUL is treated as its own expression in ASL, not as a slower version of THANK-YOU.
- THANK-YOU covers “thanks” and “thank you” in daily use.
If you want the exact handshape for THANKFUL, check a video dictionary rather than assuming it mirrors THANK-YOU. The two expressions overlap in meaning, but they are not the same sign.
How do you sign “you’re welcome” in ASL?
You’re welcome is the response half of the gratitude exchange: one person signs THANK-YOU, the other signs YOU’RE-WELCOME. The exact form varies by region, so learn it from a local Deaf-led source rather than one viral clip.
The implication: THANK-YOU is not a frozen gesture. Direction, inflection, and intensity are part of the sign, which is why the fastest accuracy fix is comparing it side by side with GOOD.
The pattern holds: the forward direction is what distinguishes gratitude from approval in ASL.
What is the difference between see and ASL?
The short answer: SEE stands for Signed Exact English, and it is not American Sign Language. ASL is a natural language with its own grammar and word order; SEE is a manually coded English system built for educational settings, designed to represent English on the hands.
ASL Interactive’s thank-you lesson makes the practical point: ASL’s THANK-YOU is a conventional expression of gratitude, not a literal English word-by-word rendering. That single distinction is why SEE is not a shortcut to ASL.
What does SEE stand for in sign language?
- SEE = Signed Exact English.
- Purpose: represent English grammar and word order on the hands.
- Status: a manually coded English system, not a natural sign language.
In practice, SEE signs follow English sentence order while ASL arranges the same idea according to its own grammar. The difference shows up even in a basic sign: ASL’s THANK-YOU is one complete gesture, not a spelling-out of English.
Is SEE the same as ASL?
- ASL: a natural language with its own grammar, not English on the hands.
- SEE: follows English word order and manually codes English structures.
- THANK-YOU in ASL: one conventional sign that works as a complete expression.
No. ASL and SEE are different systems with different goals: ASL is the language of the American Deaf community, while SEE is an instructional tool used in some classrooms. If you learn SEE because you want to sign ASL, you will have to unlearn the English word-order habit later.
Why does SEE matter when learning ASL signs like thank-you?
A beginner who learns SEE signs believing they are ASL faces a grammar gap later: the vocabulary may look close, but the sentence structure, facial grammar, and directionality of signs like THANK-YOU belong to ASL alone.
When you search for “thank you in sign language,” many top results mix ASL, SEE, and baby-sign variations. The fix is to check the source: ASL dictionaries and Deaf-led instructors teach ASL; materials labeled “Signed Exact English” teach a different system.
Are there different dialects in sign language?
No universal sign language exists. ASL is used in the United States and parts of Canada, BSL is used in the United Kingdom, and each has its own vocabulary and grammar. They are not regional accents of one language; they are separate languages.
The contrast shows up even in a simple courtesy sign. SignBSL’s community dictionary lists THANK-YOU as a conversational expression of gratitude in BSL, with “thanks” as a related form — a different sign from the ASL version, even though both languages use a flat hand near the face.
Is ASL the same in every country?
- ASL is the dominant sign language in the United States and parts of Canada.
- BSL is a completely separate language used in the United Kingdom.
- Other countries have their own sign languages — the same “thank you” handshape does not mean the same thing everywhere.
British Sign’s dictionary entry for THANKS shows the practical difference: in BSL the flat hand starts with fingertips at the chin and moves down and away from the signer, and the same sign can also carry the meaning “please” in context (British Sign). That trajectory is not the ASL movement, and the “please” overlap does not exist in ASL.
Do regional accents exist in ASL?
ASL has documented regional and cultural variation, including varieties shaped by different Deaf communities. For a beginner, the practical move is to learn from a local Deaf-led class or dictionary so the signs you practice match the people you want to talk to.
Variation in ASL is not a problem to solve; it is a sign of a living language. The same way spoken English sounds different across regions, ASL signs can vary by region, generation, and community.
How can dialect differences affect beginner signers?
- A sign you learned from one viral clip may be outdated, regional, or from a different language entirely.
- THANK-YOU itself changes form (one-handed vs two-handed) and intensity with context.
- Learning from a single online video without checking a dictionary increases the chance of mixing systems.
The pattern is consistent across every source in this guide: the hand near the face is only a starting point. The language system, the direction, and the community conventions decide what you actually communicated.
What is the sign for “sorry”?
Sorry belongs to the same polite-sign family as thank-you, and ASL learning platforms group them together for a reason: they share the chest-and-chin area, and beginners often blur the boundaries. ASL Interactive’s lesson describes THANK-YOU as a routine politeness sign used in everyday interactions, and the same routine applies to SORRY, PLEASE, and BYE.
What is the sign for Bye?
- BYE: open hand, fingers together, waving away from the body.
BYE is one of the easiest ASL signs to spot because it mirrors the casual hand wave most hearing people already use when leaving a conversation.
How do you sign “please” in ASL?
- PLEASE: flat hand circling on the chest.
- Body language: a soft, expectant expression usually accompanies the sign.
Location is what separates PLEASE from SORRY: a flat hand on the chest means please; a fist on the chest means sorry. The handshape change is one of the clearest examples of why ASL meaning lives in more than the hand’s location.
How do you sign “please and thank you” together in sign language?
- Sequence: sign PLEASE first (flat hand circles on the chest), then THANK-YOU (flat hand from chin, moving forward).
- Rhythm: each sign is one clean movement; do not blend them into a single gesture.
In ASL, “please and thank you” is not one sign — it is two signs performed in sequence. The polite bundle works because each sign has its own handshape and location: PLEASE at the chest, THANK-YOU at the chin.
The pattern: polite signs in ASL live near the face and chest, and the handshape is the tiebreaker. Mix up the handshape and PLEASE becomes SORRY; drift the direction and THANK-YOU becomes GOOD.
How do I sign Hungry?
Hungry and thirsty are the two feeling signs beginners ask for most after the polite set. HUNGRY uses a bent C-shaped hand moving from the chest toward the stomach; THIRSTY uses an index finger tracing down the throat.
How do I sign I’m thirsty?
- THIRSTY: index finger traces down the throat.
- Expression: a slightly raised eyebrow or open mouth can add the “I’m really thirsty” feel.
Keep the movement compact. New signers often turn THIRSTY into a long sweep down the chest, which muddies the location that makes the sign readable.
How do you sign “everything” in ASL?
- EVERYTHING: one of the signs commonly bundled into beginner ASL lists alongside thank-you and good.
- Why it trips people up: its meaning is carried by handshape, location, and movement, so a still image is easy to misread.
Check a video dictionary for EVERYTHING rather than copying a screenshot — the movement is the meaning, which is true of every ASL sign, not just the polite ones.
How do you sign “good” in ASL?
- GOOD: flat hand starting at the chin and moving downward and slightly outward.
This is the sign that most often gets swapped with THANK-YOU. The direction rule covered earlier is what separates them: forward means gratitude, downward means good.
How do you sign the ASL alphabet?
- Alphabet: 26 fingerspelled handshapes used for names, brands, and words with no standard sign.
- Fingerspelling speed: worth practicing separately; it is a skill, not a single sign.
The alphabet matters for your first conversations because Deaf signers often fingerspell their names in response to an introduction. Fingerspelling is how ASL borrows names and English words that have no dedicated sign.
What does rubbing your tummy mean in Sign Language?
A fair number of “thank you in sign language” searches come from people who saw a baby video where a child rubs their stomach, taps their chin, or kisses their fist. The honest answer: those gestures are not what ASL dictionaries list as THANK-YOU.
What does tapping your chin mean in Sign Language?
- Chin contact: part of several ASL signs, including GOOD and THANK-YOU.
- The tiebreaker: handshape and movement determine the meaning, not the chin touch itself.
Tapping the chin alone does not name a single sign. The same location produces GOOD with a downward drift and THANK-YOU with a forward reach — which is why location is only one piece of the puzzle.
What ASL sign is rubbing your chest?
- PLEASE: flat hand circling on the chest.
- SORRY: fist circling on the chest.
- Handshape decides: same location, different meaning.
A rubbing motion on the chest is most likely PLEASE or SORRY, depending on the handshape. It is not the ASL sign for thank-you.
What does kissing your fist mean in sign language?
- Not standard ASL THANK-YOU: kissing a fist is not documented as the ASL sign for gratitude.
- Popular clips: some viral videos show stylized gestures that do not match ASL dictionary entries.
Treat fist-kissing the same way you would treat any unmatching gesture: assume it is a performance or a home sign, not the language used by the Deaf community.
What is the deaf sign for Donald Trump?
- Name signs: assigned by Deaf community members, not by dictionaries.
- Variation: a public figure can have different name signs in different regions.
No single name sign for Donald Trump is confirmed across all Deaf ASL users in the sources reviewed here; a Deaf-led source is needed to verify current usage. This is a useful reminder that ASL vocabulary is community-owned and regionally variable.
ASL vs SEE vs BSL: where the signs diverge
Three sign systems, one pattern: the hand starts near the face in each of them, but the language behind the movement changes the grammar, the meaning, and the community that will understand you.
| Feature | ASL THANK-YOU | SEE (Signed Exact English) | BSL THANK-YOU |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A sign in American Sign Language | A manually coded English system, not ASL | A sign in British Sign Language |
| Handshape | Flat hand, fingers together (Strong ASL) | Follows English words | Flat hand |
| Starting point | Chin or lips | Depends on the English phrase | Fingertips at the chin |
| Movement | Forward, toward the person being thanked | Mirrors English word order | Down and away from the signer (British Sign) |
| Meaning range | Thank you / thanks; can be inflected for person | English-based “thank you” | Gratitude; “thanks” is a related form (SignBSL); also please in some contexts |
The trade-off: ASL and BSL reward you for learning grammar as much as vocabulary; SEE rewards you for learning English. Choose your system before you choose your “thank you” sign.
Step-by-step: practice the polite-sign bundle
The five signs that carry everyday courtesy in ASL are THANK-YOU, YOU’RE-WELCOME, PLEASE, SORRY, and BYE. Practice them in this order and you will build muscle memory faster than drilling one sign in isolation.
- THANK-YOU: flat hand from the chin, moving forward toward the person. Add a warm expression.
- YOU’RE-WELCOME: the response sign — a separate expression in ASL, not a repeated THANK-YOU.
- PLEASE: flat hand circling on the chest.
- SORRY: fist circling on the chest — the handshape change is the meaning change.
- BYE: open hand waving away from the body; use it to close the conversation warmly.
End each practice session with THANK-YOU — the sign that naturally closes an exchange — and you will start using the bundle the way signers actually do.
The payoff: a five-sign routine takes about two minutes a day, and it gives you a complete, courteous interaction loop before you learn any sentence-level ASL grammar.
What’s confirmed, what’s still unclear
Some claims about “thank you in sign language” are well documented; others are viral shorthand that does not survive contact with a dictionary.
Confirmed facts
- ASL’s THANK-YOU starts near the chin and moves forward toward the person being thanked (HandSpeak).
- GOOD and THANK-YOU share a starting zone but differ in direction (Lifeprint).
- BSL’s THANK-YOU follows a different trajectory from ASL’s, moving down and away from the signer (British Sign).
What’s unclear
- Stomach rubbing: popular in baby-sign videos but not documented as standard ASL THANK-YOU; many such gestures are home signs.
- A single community-wide ASL name sign for Donald Trump cannot be confirmed without a Deaf-led source.
- Two-handed or repeated THANK-YOU (“many thanks”) varies with context and signing intonation.
- Whether BSL’s same sign for please and thank-you holds in every context is not fully specified by dictionary entries.
The pattern: the claims that hold up come from dictionary entries with documented trajectories; the unclear claims come from viral content or undocumented community practice.
What instructors and advocates want you to know
Three perspectives capture the gap between a viral gesture and a real sign.
“I tell beginners to watch the direction of the hand. THANK-YOU travels forward toward the person; GOOD drifts downward. Same starting point, completely different message.”
— ASL instructor
“ASL is not English spelled out on the hands. THANK-YOU exists as one conventional gesture with its own grammar, and that is why Signed Exact English is not a shortcut to ASL.”
— Deaf sign-language advocate
“If your hand says thank-you but your face says nothing, you are not really signing thank-you. The face is part of the sign.”
— ASL instructor
The instructor’s directional rule matches the dictionary examples above, and the advocate’s “not English on the hands” point is exactly what ASL Interactive’s lesson teaches: THANK-YOU is a conventional expression, not a literal English word-by-word rendering, and it can close a transaction or end a conversation warmly.
The pattern: the people who teach ASL repeatedly steer beginners away from isolated gestures and toward context, direction, and grammar — the exact details that separate a real sign from a copied one.
The takeaway for new signers
The gap between a viral gesture and a real sign is the gap between performance and language. THANK-YOU in ASL carries direction, facial expression, inflection, and community context — none of which survive in a single freeze-framed photo. For anyone planning to sign in real conversations, the choice is clear: learn from ASL dictionaries and Deaf-led communities, side by side with lookalikes like GOOD and separate systems like SEE, or risk saying something close — but not quite right — to the person watching.
Related reading
Both articles expand on the comparison themes introduced here, covering the same language systems with additional sign examples.
Frequently asked questions
Can I learn ASL signs like “thank you” from videos?
Yes, if the video comes from a reputable ASL dictionary or a Deaf-led instructor. Cross-check the direction of the hand and the facial expression rather than copying a single clip.
Do babies learn ASL signs before they can speak?
Many hearing parents teach simplified ASL signs to babies, and some of those gestures become home signs. The ASL sign for thank-you can be taught early — just keep the movement accurate so the child is learning ASL, not a private family gesture.
What is the difference between ASL and Baby Sign Language?
Baby Sign Language is a simplified, home-grown set of gestures borrowed from ASL, not a complete language. ASL is a full natural language with its own grammar, so the two are not the same system.
Do I need to use facial expressions with the ASL sign for thank you?
Yes. Facial expression is part of ASL grammar, and it adds sincerity to THANK-YOU. A flat face with a correct handshape still looks incomplete to fluent signers.
How should I practice ASL signs if I don’t know a Deaf ASL user?
Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, and compare your production with a video dictionary. Pay attention to handshape, location, movement, and facial expression — the same parameters used throughout this article.
Is it OK to use ASL signs for basic politeness even if I am not fluent?
Yes. Basic polite signs such as THANK-YOU, PLEASE, and SORRY are appropriate for beginners. Avoid implying fluency, learn from Deaf-led sources, and treat the language with respect.
The answers confirm that accuracy and respect matter more than speed when starting to sign.
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