YES in sign language

ASL signs for YES

How do you say 'yes' in American Sign Language?

Meaning: Used to give a positive answer or reply to a question, request, or offer; used to give an affirmative response.

Pronunciation: Dominant fist or "S" hand bobbing down twice at wrist, resembling a head nodding.

Among native/Deaf signers, as with other ASL signs, there are nuances of meaning for this regular 'yes' sign with just different movements along with intonation (e.g. facial expression).

For beginners, it's good to start with this 'yes' sign.

Variants of affirmative responses

While 'yes' sign is one of some basic vocabulary in everyday conversations, there are different signs or some interjections of affirmative responses that Deaf signers use other than the 'yes' sign above. They are not not something you can use in any contexts. For beginners, observe how they use these in specific contexts in natural conversations.

Semantic variation. Lexicalized fingerspelling / fingerspelled loanword.

Used often with emphasis in specific contexts, excitement (repeated "YES+++"), or such specific tones.

One of some variations for "yep" or "yup".

Related signs: NOPE.

Nodding

Nodding is one of the most commonly used interjections, variously used to express agreement, to make an acknowledgment to encourage to continue speaking, or to indicate a lack of interest or enthusiasm. It's generally to say "mm-hmm", "okay", "yeah" or simply a "mm-hmm' cue of active listening.

A common nod means 'yes'. Other kinds of nods can convey subtle different meanings of affirmative expressions from one acknowledging to "I'm listening."

As for the "I'm listening" nods, it's used by a listener to let the talking signer know that the listener is paying attention. If a beginner hearing signer looks plain or frozen, the Deaf signer probably would rephrase, repeat, or begin to sign slower, or ask, "Understand?" Nodding is not the only thing, but fluent Deaf signers use other non-interrupting responses too.

Related signs

Synonyms: YEAH, SURE, ALL-RIGHT, UH-HUH.

Opposite: NO with a little hypothetical question posed by nine-year-old bilingual ASL-speaking kid about why the ASL signs "yes" and "no" don't have the same origin of reason. Kids say the darnedest things!