The familiar ASL “I love you” sign is the one-handed ILY handshape: extend your thumb, index finger, and pinky while folding your middle and ring fingers. You can present it held near your chest or move it outward toward the person you’re addressing. A second approach is to use the separate sign for LOVE, but that sign by itself is not a verified full ASL sentence meaning “I love you.”
Way 1: Make the ILY handshape
- Fold your middle and ring fingers into your palm.
- Extend your thumb, index finger, and pinky.
- Turn your palm outward so the handshape faces the person you’re addressing.
- Hold it in front of your chest, or move it outward toward the recipient.
The handshape combines the fingerspelled letters I, L, and Y into one compact sign. PocketSign demonstrates it with the palm outward and a movement from the chest toward the addressee; Deafened.org describes holding it in front of the chest. These are documented presentations, not evidence that every signer must use one required motion. PocketSign’s I LOVE YOU lesson and Deafened.org’s ILY guide show the sign.
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Way 2: Use the separate sign for LOVE
PocketSign describes LOVE as crossing both arms over the chest. This is a different sign from the one-handed ILY handshape, and it can be useful when you want to learn the LOVE sign on its own. PocketSign’s LOVE lesson demonstrates that form.
Do not treat the LOVE sign alone as a complete translation of the English sentence “I love you.” The sources cited here do not establish a definitive sequence of separate ASL signs for the full sentence, so this second approach is a separate LOVE sign—not a verified three-sign sentence gloss.
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Which version should you use?
| Approach | Form | What the cited source supports |
|---|---|---|
| ILY | One hand: thumb, index finger, and pinky extended; middle and ring fingers folded | PocketSign and Deafened.org describe the handshape as a compact “I love you” expression. |
| LOVE | Both arms crossed over the chest | PocketSign describes the separate LOVE sign; the cited material does not verify it as a complete sentence meaning “I love you.” |
Sign performance can vary by region and community. If you are learning from a particular Deaf community or signer, follow the form and delivery they use.
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For a broader ASL reference, Gallaudet University Press’s American Sign Language Handshape Dictionary, Second Edition, is organized by 40 basic handshapes and includes an English vocabulary index. The publisher describes more than 1,900 sign illustrations; the second edition was published in 2020. It is a reference for continued study, not a requirement for learning ILY.
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