How to sign
Help in ASL
Help rests a fist (thumb up) on top of a flat palm and lifts both together. Move it toward someone to help them, toward yourself to ask for help.
- Single sign
- Two hands
- Handshape: A/10 hand (fist, thumb up) on a flat B hand
- In front of body
- Communication
- Doing & Helping
How to sign help
- 1
Hold your non-dominant hand flat, palm up.
- 2
Place a fist with the thumb up on top of it.
- 3
Lift both hands together a few inches. To say 'help me,' move the unit toward your chest; to say 'help you,' move it toward the person.
Common mistakes
- Lifting only the top hand. Both hands rise together as one unit.
Questions about “Help”
Sign NEED (a bent index finger pushing down) and then HELP moving toward yourself. There's a dedicated I-NEED-HELP phrase page too.
Guide
Basic Phrases
The first phrases you actually use in a signed conversation: introductions, asking for help, saying you are learning, and keeping things polite. Real video for each one.
From the blog
The First 50 ASL Signs to Learn (and Why These 50)
A teacher-picked starter vocabulary: greetings, replies, pronouns, question words, and feelings that let you hold a real first conversation. Every sign on video.