It is one of the most useful signs to learn early, whether to apologize for a genuine mistake or simply for fumbling a sign. So how do you sign “sorry” in ASL?
Form an A handshape with your dominant hand, place it against your chest with the palm facing in, and rub it in a clockwise circular motion two or three times.
A clarification matters here, because online resources disagree. Many tutorials teach this sign with an S handshape or with a plain closed fist. Reference sources rooted in the Deaf community, including Lifeprint and Handspeak, recommend the A handshape instead, where the thumb rests along the side of the fist rather than across the fingers.
The practical reason is simple: an A hand avoids jamming your thumb against your chest during the rubbing motion. You will still see the S version in use, and it is understood, but the A is what experienced signers tend to produce.
The second element matters as much as the handshape. Your facial expression carries the sincerity. A sorry signed with a neutral face reads as hollow, and in ASL the mimic is grammatical rather than decorative.
Note also that intensity comes through inflection rather than added words. For “very sorry” or “truly sorry”, you enlarge the circle and intensify the expression instead of signing something extra.
One final point: SORRY and EXCUSE ME are different signs entirely in ASL, which beginners frequently conflate.
To learn everyday vocabulary with video demonstrations, the Anna: Sign Language app available at annasignlanguage.com guides beginners step by step.
In this article we cover everything about signing sorry in ASL.
How to Form the Sign SORRY in ASL?
Here are the steps to form the sign properly.
Raise your dominant hand to chest height
Close your fist into an A handshape
Rest your thumb along the side of your index finger
Place the hand against the center of your chest
Face your palm inward toward your body
Rub in a clockwise circular motion
Repeat two or three times
The decisive element is the circular motion. This is a continuous rub rather than a tap or a pat. Beginners frequently touch the chest once and stop, which reads as an incomplete gesture rather than an apology.
Keep the circle smooth and controlled, roughly the size of your fist. Too small and the movement disappears, too large and it becomes theatrical.
Your thumb position defines the handshape. In an A hand, the thumb rests along the outside of your curled fingers rather than crossing over them. This matters practically as much as formally, since a thumb pressed across the fingers gets jammed against your chest during the rubbing motion.
Keep the fist relaxed rather than clenched. Squeezing tires your hand unnecessarily and stiffens the movement.
Your facial expression carries the sincerity of the message. A regretful or concerned look completes the sign, while a neutral face makes the apology read as hollow regardless of how precisely you form the hand.
For a stronger apology, enlarge the circle and slow the movement rather than adding another sign. Leaning slightly forward reinforces it further.
Maintain eye contact throughout, since in ASL your gaze indicates who you are addressing.
What Mistakes Should You Avoid When Signing SORRY?
Several errors recur among beginners on this sign.
Tapping the chest instead of rubbing in a continuous circular motion
Crossing the thumb over your fingers, which jams it against your chest during the movement
Signing with a neutral face, stripping the apology of its sincerity
Making the circle too large, which reads as theatrical rather than genuine
Confusing SORRY with EXCUSE ME, which are entirely different signs in ASL
Adding a sign for “very” instead of inflecting the movement
Clenching the fist, which stiffens the gesture and tires your hand
Avoiding eye contact, which undermines the apology entirely
Among these, the tap instead of the rub is the most common. The sign is defined by its circular motion, and touching your chest once produces something incomplete that signers read as a hesitation rather than an apology. Make the circle continuous and repeat it two or three times.
The neutral face comes a close second and matters just as much. ASL treats facial expression as grammatical rather than decorative, which means an apology delivered without a regretful look reads as insincere or even sarcastic. Your expression is part of the sign.
Confusing SORRY with EXCUSE ME deserves specific mention. They serve different purposes and use completely different handshapes and movements. Use SORRY to apologize for something you did, and EXCUSE ME to get someone’s attention or pass by.
On intensity, resist the instinct to add words. Enlarging the circle, slowing the movement and leaning slightly forward communicate a stronger apology, which is how ASL marks degree throughout the language.
Film yourself once to check whether your expression actually follows your hand.
How to Memorize the Sign SORRY Easily?
This sign benefits from a particularly strong mental image: you are rubbing your heart. The circular motion over the chest comes directly from the universal gesture of placing a hand over the heart to show sincerity, which makes the association immediate.
That origin explains the whole sign. The location is the chest because that is where regret sits, and the motion is circular rather than a tap because an apology is something you hold rather than something you deliver and drop.
To lock in the handshape, practice the A on its own first. Curl your fingers, rest your thumb along the side rather than across them, and notice how the fist sits comfortably against your chest. The practical logic helps here too: the thumb stays outside precisely so it does not get jammed during the rubbing motion.
Build a tactile reflex as well. Feel your thumb along the outside of your fingers rather than checking visually, since in real conversation you will never look at your own hand.
The most useful habit concerns your face rather than your hand. Get into the practice of forming the expression first, then adding the sign. Beginners concentrate so heavily on the handshape that they forget the mimic entirely, and on this sign the expression carries most of the meaning.
Practice it in real situations rather than in isolation. Use it when you genuinely bump into someone or make a small mistake, since the sign is simple enough to deploy immediately and context ancres it far better than repetition at a desk.
Film yourself once to confirm the circle reads as continuous and your expression follows.
