American Sign Language Symbols and Letters


There are symbols used for writing ASL signs, glossing ASL sentences, and fingerspelling in ASL.

Symbols for Writing ASL Signs

American Sign Language symbols were developed in order to write how ASL signs are signed. This is called SignWriting. It was developed by Valerie Sutton in 1974.

Here are some examples of SignWriting:

sign language symbols

Notice how the sign language symbols are able to indicate all four of the main sign parameters:

  1. Handshape (HS)
  2. Movement (MV)
  3. Location (LOC)
  4. Palm Orientation (PO)

In the image for DEAF, the sign parameters are shown this way:

  • HS: The square and line symbol indicates one hand with the 1-handshape
  • MV: The asterisks (*) indicate contact with the face during the movement
  • LOC: The head symbol indicates where in the signing area this is signed
  • PO: The white part of the square and line symbol indicates the position of the palm

In the image for WORLD, the sign parameters are shown this way:

  • HS: The circles with three lines indicate two hands with the W-handshape
  • MV: The ovals with arrows indicate the circular movement and the asterisk (*) indicates contact with the two hands.
  • LOC: The absence of any body part symbol indicates that this is signed in the neutral signing area
  • PO: The white part of the circles with three lines indicates the positions of the palms

The official website (and the best resource) for these types of sign language symbols is Sutton’s SignWriting Site.

Symbols for Glossing ASL Sentences


There are certain rules and symbols that are used when glossing a sentence in ASL. Here are some examples:

Every sign is written in CAPITAL LETTERS.

“I like rice.”


“Mom went to the store yesterday.”


“Her name is Suzy.”

Gestures, or words that aren’t necessarily signs, are shown with quotation marks. An example of using gestures would be glossing a name sign.

“K tap shoulder”


“She arrived very early.”


“That long boring speech seemed to last forever!”



“That line is so long!”


he-GIVE-her BOOK
“He gave her the book.”

Non-Manual markers and facial expressions are shown on a line above the gloss when learning sign language. Here is how they’re shown:

Topicalization: _____t

WH-word question: _____whq

Yes/no question: _____y/n

Rhetorical question: _____rhq

Conditional statement: _____cond

Affirmative statement: _____aff

Negative statement: _____neg

Mouth movement: _____”…”

For example:

sign language symbols

ASL Alphabet Letters/Symbols

The ASL alphabet can also be considered sign language symbols. These visual symbols are used for fingerspelling in ASL.

American Sign Language Alphabet