How to Say Thank You in Sign Language: ASL, Baby Signs & More
Anyone who has watched a baby’s hand flap toward their mouth and called it a wave knows how much meaning one small gesture can carry. The sign for thank you in American Sign Language does the same — a flat hand leaves the lips and moves outward toward the person being thanked — but ASL is only one of over 300 sign languages used globally (World Federation of the Deaf), so this guide also covers baby signs, regional variants, and the GIFs that spread the gesture online.
Sign languages used globally: over 300 (World Federation of the Deaf) · ASL roots: French Sign Language (LSF) (Wikipedia) · Recommended start age for baby signs: 6–12 months (ASL Teaching Resources)
Quick snapshot
- The ASL sign for thank you starts near the lips or chin and moves outward (YouTube sign demonstration).
- The sign is directional — it can move toward the person being thanked (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)). (YouTube sign demonstration)
- ASL is not a universal language; each country’s sign language is its own (Wikipedia (ASL encyclopedia entry)). (YouTube sign demonstration)
- Whether “blowing a kiss” is a literal description or just a teaching analogy (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
- When a baby’s approximation counts as the actual sign (Baby Signs (baby-sign video channel)).
- Whether any emoji will become a standard stand-in for the sign (Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
- Some babies attempt the sign around 6 months — not a guarantee (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)). (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial))
- Consistency from any age matters more than a milestone (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- Adult learners can often copy the motion in one practice session (Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)).
- Practice the sign with video demos and a mirror (YouTube sign demonstration). (GIPHY (GIF search platform))
- Learn the sign language used in your listener’s community (World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)). (GIPHY (GIF search platform))
- Use GIFs and emoji as reminders, not as a substitute for real signing (GIPHY (GIF search platform)).
Key facts at a glance
Ten details, one pattern: the polite gesture is simple to recognize, but the fine print — handshape, direction, and language system — is what separates a real sign from a rough imitation.
| Detail | What to know | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hand shape | Flat or open hand, fingers together | Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource) |
| Starting point | Near the lips or chin | YouTube sign demonstration |
| Movement | Outward from the face, slightly down | ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library) |
| Palm direction | Faces the person being thanked | ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library) |
| Hands used | One hand (the dominant hand) | Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource) |
| Please sign | Circular motion on the chest | Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial) |
| Baby approximation | Fist, hand-to-mouth, or repeated motion | Baby Signs (baby-sign video channel) |
| Earliest common attempt | Around 6 months | ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library) |
| Global scope | More than 300 sign languages | World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body) |
| Emoji status | No official sign-language thank-you emoji | Unicode Consortium (standards body) |
The table confirms that the sign’s form is consistent across sources, but the variation in baby approximations underscores the need for flexibility in early communication.
This guide draws on widely shared ASL teaching videos, baby-sign resources, and encyclopedia entries. For region-specific signing, the reliable next step is a Deaf-led instructor in the relevant sign language.
How do you say thank you in American Sign Language?
According to the most widely shared ASL teaching demonstrations, the sign for thank you begins with a flat, open hand near the lips or chin, then moves outward toward the person you’re thanking (YouTube sign demonstration).
What is the ASL sign for thank you?
- Handshape: flat or open hand, fingers together (Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)).
- Start: fingertips near the lips or chin (YouTube sign demonstration).
- Movement: outward and slightly down, toward the listener (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
The motion is often described as resembling a blown kiss, but the hand leaves the face instead of staying at the lips (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)). The sign is directional, so you can aim it at the person receiving the thanks, which makes it feel like an exchange rather than a pose (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
ASL is a complete language with its own grammar and word order — not English spelled with gestures (NIDCD (U.S. health research institute)). Copying one sign is a start; the language behind it deserves the real work.
The implication: practice the motion slowly before you speed it up. An outward, palm-open finish is what makes the sign read as genuine thanks.
How to avoid common errors when signing thank you?
- Don’t start at the chest. The sign begins near the face; starting lower changes the phrase (YouTube sign demonstration).
- Don’t keep the palm turned inward. The outward palm and movement send the thanks to the other person (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- Don’t freeze the pose. The outward motion is the meaning; a static hand at the lips reads as an incomplete attempt (YouTube sign demonstration).
Small changes in handshape and direction separate a clear sign from a fuzzy approximation. Slow practice in a mirror fixes both.
The pattern: even a simple sign requires precision to avoid misunderstanding; mirror practice combined with native feedback ensures accuracy.
What is the sign for ‘please’ in sign language?
In American Sign Language, please is a one-handed sign made with a flat hand on the chest and a small circular motion (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)). It is usually taught alongside thank you because the two form a polite loop: you ask with one, you acknowledge with the other (Baby Sign Language (early-learning dictionary)).
What is the difference between please and thank you signs?
- Please: flat hand on the chest, small circle (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- Thank you: flat hand starts near the face, then moves outward (YouTube sign demonstration).
- The key contrast: please stays close to the body; thank you travels away from it (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
The trade-off: they feel similar to a beginner because both are one-handed, flat-hand signs — which is exactly why teaching them side by side works.
What this means: teaching the two signs together reinforces their differences and speeds up recall in conversation.
How can you teach your baby to say thank you in sign language?
Baby-sign resources recommend teaching thank you as a simple hand movement and reinforcing it with spoken words, even when the baby cannot reproduce the adult sign yet (Baby Sign Language (early-learning dictionary); Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
When to start baby sign language?
- Around 6 months: some babies begin attempting the thank-you sign, though it is not a developmental guarantee (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- 6–12 months: the commonly cited window for introducing early signs (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- Any age, with consistency: the bigger driver is daily repetition, not a calendar date (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
Babies often produce an approximation — a fist, a hand-to-mouth flap, or a repeated motion — before they manage the flat-hand version. Baby-sign instructors count those attempts as communication (Baby Signs (baby-sign video channel); Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
What are the benefits of baby signs?
- Pairing the sign with the spoken word supports understanding without replacing speech (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- Useful early signs include milk, food, more, again, please, and thank you (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- A simplified motion fits a baby’s motor skills better than the full adult form (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
A 12-month-old’s fist-to-mouth flap is a milestone for a parent but not a fluent adult sign. Baby signing is an early communication bridge; treat it as the first step, not the destination (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
What this means: consistency and modeling build the habit; the perfect handshape comes later. The advice across these resources is the same — model the sign while saying the words, accept the approximation, and stay patient.
The catch: celebrating early attempts encourages communication, but modeling the correct handshape over time helps the child move toward adult fluency.
How do you say thank you in Indonesian Sign Language and Japanese Sign Language?
Sign languages are not universal — they develop inside Deaf communities, each with its own vocabulary and grammar (Wikipedia (ASL encyclopedia entry); World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)). The ASL sign that works in the United States and parts of Canada does not automatically carry meaning in Southeast Asia or Japan.
What is the Indonesian Sign Language sign for thank you?
- Indonesia’s Deaf community primarily uses BISINDO (Bahasa Isyarat Indonesia), the country’s indigenous sign language (Wikipedia (Indonesian Sign Language entry)).
- Schools use a separate, standardized classroom system called SIBI; the two are not interchangeable (Wikipedia (Indonesian Sign Language entry)).
- Both differ from ASL in their own ways — BISINDO as a native language, SIBI as a school system — so an ASL sign is not a safe default (Wikipedia (Indonesian Sign Language entry)).
How does Japanese Sign Language express gratitude?
- Japanese Sign Language (JSL) belongs to its own sign language family and is not derived from ASL (Wikipedia (JSL encyclopedia entry)).
- JSL has its own signs and grammar, so the gesture for gratitude differs from the ASL outward motion (Wikipedia (JSL encyclopedia entry)).
- A Deaf-led JSL class or dictionary is the reliable way to learn the correct local sign (World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)).
If you plan to thank a Deaf colleague in Jakarta or Tokyo, the ASL sign is the wrong tool. The useful question is never “what is the sign?” — it’s “which sign language is this conversation in?”
The pattern: gratitude is universal; the gesture is local. Treating sign languages as a single system is the most common mistake travelers make, and it’s easy to avoid with one quick check of the local Deaf community’s resources.
What this means: before traveling or interacting, research the sign language used in that community to ensure gratitude is properly understood.
Where can you find GIFs, emoji, and videos of thank you in sign language?
The digital shelf for the thank-you sign is crowded. GIF libraries, video tutorials, and emoji keyboards all claim to show it, and each format has a different job (GIPHY (GIF search platform); Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
Where to find GIFs of thank you in ASL?
- GIPHY: searching “thank you sign language” returns ASL GIFs you can drop into chats and slides (GIPHY (GIF search platform)).
- Baby-sign dictionaries: sites like Baby Sign Language offer short, simplified clips aimed at toddlers (Baby Sign Language (early-learning dictionary)).
- YouTube: full demonstrations show the motion in context, not just as a static still (YouTube sign demonstration).
What is the Unicode emoji for sign language thank you?
- There is no official Unicode emoji for “thank you” in sign language (Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
- The love-you gesture (🤟) is the closest famous sign-language emoji, but it means “I love you,” a different ASL phrase (Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
- Emoji spread the idea of sign language, but they are typing shortcuts — not instruction (Unicode Consortium (standards body); GIPHY (GIF search platform)).
GIFs are great for recognizing the sign and terrible for feedback — no one is watching to tell you your palm angle is off. Pair a GIF workout with a mirror, or better, a live class.
The pattern: the internet is the fastest way to find the sign and the slowest way to correct it. Use the visual formats to remember the shape, then let a human check the movement.
The implication: while digital resources are helpful for familiarization, they cannot replace the corrective feedback of a live instructor.
How do you sign please and thank you in sign language?
In conversation, please and thank you show up as a pair: the same flat hand that circles on the chest for please moves to the face and then outward for thank you (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial); YouTube sign demonstration). Learning them as a two-part phrase is how beginner and baby-sign materials usually teach it.
How to combine both signs in conversation?
- Please: flat hand on the chest, small circular motion (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- Thank you: lift the same hand to the lips or chin, then push outward (YouTube sign demonstration).
- Add your face: ASL uses facial expression as part of its grammar, so a warm look is not decoration — it carries meaning (NIDCD (U.S. health research institute)).
- Practice the loop: chest circle to face start to outward finish, slowly at first, then at normal speed.
What this means: the transition between please and thank you is the real lesson. Once the loop flows, you have a complete polite exchange that works without a spoken word.
The pattern: the flow between the two signs creates a natural politeness routine that can stand alone as a complete exchange.
How to sign thank you: a step-by-step practice routine
You can copy the ASL thank-you sign in one sitting, but copying is not signing until the small details — handshape, start point, direction — become automatic. This routine works on exactly those details.
- Start with your dominant hand. Keep the fingers together and the palm flat (Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)).
- Bring the fingertips to your lips or chin. This is the starting block of the sign (YouTube sign demonstration).
- Move the hand outward and slightly down. The palm turns to face the person you’re thanking (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- Finish with the hand away from the face. The outward position is what separates the sign from a pose that just stays at the lips (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- Say the words while you sign. Baby-sign instructors pair the gesture with spoken “thank you” to reinforce the connection (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
- Repeat slowly in a mirror. A few slow, intentional reps every day for a week will make the movement feel natural (YouTube sign demonstration; ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
The implication: consistent practice with attention to detail builds accuracy over time, turning a copied gesture into a fluent sign.
What’s confirmed — and what’s still fuzzy
Separating the widely taught basics from the online half-truths is useful when you’re about to use the sign in real conversation.
What we can confirm
- The ASL sign for thank you starts near the lips or chin and moves outward with a flat hand (YouTube sign demonstration).
- The sign can be directed toward the person being thanked (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)).
- Please uses a circular chest motion, clearly different from thank-you’s outward path (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
- There are more than 300 sign languages in the world, each with its own vocabulary (World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)).
Questions that remain
- The exact historical origin of the ASL thank-you sign is not documented in the sources reviewed.
- Whether “blowing a kiss” is a literal description or just a teaching analogy (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
- Whether any emoji will settle into a standard visual stand-in for the sign (Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
- How much baby-sign exposure accelerates later spoken-language development (Baby Signs (baby-sign video channel)).
The pattern: the more specific the source, the more reliable the sign. Vague comparisons and universal claims are where the errors live.
What the experts say
Three short quotes capture the core of the sign and the two most common misunderstandings around it.
“The ASL sign for thank you starts with fingers near the lips and moves outward, toward the person being thanked.”
— Dr. Bill Vicars, Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)
“The sign is directional: the hand can move toward the person being thanked.”
— ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)
“Teaching thank you to babies starts with a simple hand movement, repeated until the child makes it their own.”
— Baby Sign Language (early-learning dictionary)
These quotes share a thread: form matters, direction matters, and practice is the bridge between a copied gesture and a real sign.
Your takeaway
The word “thank you” exists in every sign language, but the gesture belongs to one specific language and community. The ASL sign — flat hand from the face outward — works in signing situations across the United States and parts of Canada; in Jakarta or Tokyo, a BISINDO or JSL sign is the message that lands. For anyone learning sign language to thank a Deaf friend, colleague, or child, the decision is clear: find out which sign language your listener actually uses, learn from Deaf-led or native-signing sources, and practice the movement slowly — or the gratitude you intend may arrive as a gesture that was never quite your message.
Related reading: Baby Sign Language – Thank You Sign · ASL Teaching Resources – Teach Your Baby to Sign Thank You
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn to sign thank you?
You can copy the basic motion in minutes — one flat hand, one outward movement (Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)). Making it feel natural takes a few practice sessions, and fluency in ASL comes from learning the whole language, not a single sign (NIDCD (U.S. health research institute)).
Can I use the same sign for thank you in all sign languages?
No. There are more than 300 sign languages used around the world (World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)), and each community has its own vocabulary. The ASL sign is the right choice for ASL conversations, not for BISINDO, JSL, or other sign languages (Wikipedia (Indonesian Sign Language entry); Wikipedia (JSL encyclopedia entry)).
Is the sign for thank you the same as blowing a kiss?
No. The sign starts near the lips, which is why the comparison comes up, but the hand moves outward from the face toward the person being thanked — it does not stay at the mouth (Nottinxactscience (sign-language commentary)).
When should I start teaching thank-you to a baby?
Some baby-sign resources suggest babies may attempt the sign as early as 6 months, though that is not a guarantee (ASL Teaching Resources (baby-sign lesson library)). Consistency from any age matters more than hitting a specific milestone (Baby Sign TV (baby-sign tutorial)).
Is it important to learn sign language from a native signer?
Yes. ASL is a complete language with its own grammar and history (NIDCD (U.S. health research institute)), and the most reliable way to learn its vocabulary and cultural norms — including regional variations of signs like thank you — is through the Deaf community or qualified native-signing instructors (World Federation of the Deaf (global deaf-rights body)).
Is there a sign-language thank-you emoji?
Not an official one. Unicode does not include a “thank you in sign language” emoji (Unicode Consortium (standards body)). The love-you gesture (🤟) is the best-known sign-language emoji, but it means “I love you,” a different ASL phrase (Unicode Consortium (standards body)).
What is the ASL sign for “you’re welcome”?
There is no single sign that maps one-to-one with the English phrase. ASL has its own response signs for “you’re welcome,” most commonly a distinct WELCOME sign rather than a repeated thank you (Lifeprint (ASL instruction resource)).
Related reading
If you’re teaching the sign to a child or want another demonstration, these two resources fit the same topic:
- ASL Teaching Resources – Teach Your Baby to Sign Thank You
- Baby Sign Language – Thank You Sign
These resources complement the guide and offer video demonstrations for practice.
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