How Do You Say Look in Sign Language: Quick & Clear Guide

I still remember the exact moment.

I was twenty-three, sitting in a crowded subway car in New York, when a little Deaf girl—no older than six—tugged on her mother’s sleeve and signed something so fast my eyes could barely keep up. Her tiny hands flew: index fingers pointing away from her face, pulling outward like she was opening invisible curtains. Her mother smiled, turned, and followed the child’s gaze to a street performer juggling fire outside the window.

In that split second, without a single spoken word, an entire universe of attention was shared.

That gesture—simple, universal, electric—was the first time I truly understood:

“LOOK” might be the most human thing we ever say.Because before we speak, before we name, before we argue or love or pray—we look.And every culture on Earth has found a way to say it with their hands.

A Quick Reference Table:

Language	Sign Description	Cultural/Linguistic Note
American Sign Language (ASL)	Two “V” hands point away from eyes, flick forward	Emphasizes direction; used like “Check this out!”
British Sign Language (BSL)	Index finger draws circle in air then points	More narrative—“Have a look around”
French Sign Language (LSF)	Index fingers from eyes sweep outward (like binoculars)	Very visual culture; often exaggerated for drama
Italian Sign Language (LIS)	“V” hands from eyes, twist outward	Theatrical—Italians “look” with their whole body
German Sign Language (DGS)	Flat hand chops forward from forehead	Direct and efficient, like German spoken language
Auslan (Australian)	Same as BSL but often with raised eyebrows	Heavy use of non-manual features (eyebrows = urgency)
Japanese Sign Language (JSL)	Index fingers from eyes, pull down like curtains	Polite; downward motion softens the command
Korean Sign Language (KSL)	Two fingers from eyes, sharp forward point	Hierarchical—more respectful when addressing elders
Chinese Sign Language (CSL)	Index fingers from eyes, circular motion then point	Circular motion reflects holistic worldview
Langue des Signes Québécoise (LSQ)	Similar to LSF but with Québecois “flair”	Influenced by both French and ASL—unique blend
Indian Sign Language (ISL)	Palm open, sweeps from eyes outward	Often paired with head tilt; warmth and inclusion
Arabic Sign Language (ArSL – unified)	Index from eye, strong forward jab	Intensity shows passion; used even in heated discussion
South African Sign Language (SASL)	“V” hands from eyes, flick outward	Influenced by BSL but with distinct local flavor
Brazilian Sign Language (Libras)	Index fingers pull from eyes like opening a book	Expressive and story-like—Brazilians sign with their soul
Russian Sign Language (RSL)	Flat hand from forehead sweeps forward	Very spatial—Russians sign “where” and “look” almost identically sometimes

European Sign Languages:

Walk through Paris and you’ll see Deaf French people “look” with sweeping, cinematic gestures—like they’re directing a film. In Italy, looking isn’t just functional; it’s performance. Hands twist, shoulders shrug, eyebrows dance. Germans, by contrast, give you a crisp, no-nonsense forward chop—because why waste movement when the message is clear?

Yet every European sign for “look” starts at the eyes. That’s not coincidence. It’s biology and poetry colliding.

Asian Sign Languages :

In Japan and Korea, the sign for “look” is softer, almost apologetic if directed at someone superior. Chinese Sign Language often uses circular motions—mirroring the cultural idea that nothing is ever just a straight line; everything is connected.

In India, where over 20 sign languages coexist (yes, twenty!), the gesture is generous—an open palm inviting you into the same visual world. It’s less “I’m telling you to look” and more “Come see this beauty with me.”

African Sign Languages :

From Tunisian Sign Language in the north to SASL in the south, African sign languages often emphasize collective attention. In many communities, one person signing “look!” means the whole circle turns. In Ghana Sign Language, the sign can be accompanied by a tongue click or shoulder tap—because attention is never just visual; it’s physical, communal, alive.

Indigenous and Island Sign Languages:

In Māori culture (New Zealand), the sign can be part of a larger hongi greeting—eyes meet first, always.

Hawaiian Sign Language (‘Ōlelo Hoe) uses flowing motions that feel like the ocean itself is pointing your gaze.

In Yolngu Sign Language (Australia), “look” signs are tied to intricate kinship pointing systems—one gesture can mean “look over there… but respectfully, because that land belongs to my mother’s brother.”

Even in isolated communities like the Alipur Sign Language village in India or Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language (now extinct), the eyes were always the starting point. Always.

Cultural Insights :

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs show the eye of Horus watching over humanity.

In the Bible, God calls out “Adam, where are you?”—but Adam was hiding because he was seen.

Buddhist texts speak of vipassana—insight that begins with mindful looking.

Every major religion has a moment where someone is told: “Look.”

And every Deaf child, anywhere in the world, learns within their first year of life to pull attention from their eyes outward.

It is quite possibly the oldest sentence humanity ever signed.

Proverbs and Sayings About Looking (Signed or Spoken)

• Italy (spoken): “Gli occhi sono lo specchio dell’anima” – The eyes are the mirror of the soul.
• Japan (signed equivalent): “Look carefully—the world is quieter than you think.”
• Yoruba proverb: “The eyes that see do not sleep alone.” (Community vigilance)
• Cherokee: “Look with your heart, not just your eyes.”
• Arabic: “The eye is the window, but the heart is the door.”
• Hawaiian: “Nānā ka maka; ho‘olohe ka pepeiao; pa‘a ka waha.” (Observe with the eyes, listen with the ears, shut the mouth—classic wisdom)

FAQs :

Why do so many sign languages start the sign at the eyes?

Because the eyes are the source. It’s natural grammar—subject (eyes) → verb (direct) → object (what you’re looking at).

Is there a universal “look” sign?

Not exactly—but International Sign (used at Deaf events worldwide) uses the ASL/BSL “V” hands flicking outward. It’s become a kind of global shorthand.

What’s the oldest recorded sign for “look”?

We don’t have video, but 18th-century French paintings of Abbé de l’Épée teaching Deaf students clearly show the two-finger-from-eyes gesture—almost identical to modern LSF.

Why do some cultures sign it politely and others dramatically?

It mirrors spoken etiquette. High-context cultures (Japan, Korea) soften commands. Low-context cultures (Germany, parts of the U.S.) are direct.

Conclusion:

Before any of us learned “mama” or “dada,”

before we were taught to say “please” or count to ten,

someone bigger than us took our tiny face in their hands,

turned it toward light, color, love—

and pulled the world open with two fingers from their eyes.

That moment belongs to all of us.

So now I want to hear from you.

How do YOU sign “look” in your language?

What was the first thing someone ever desperately wanted you to see?

Drop it in the comments—write it, describe it, film it, draw it.

Because every pair of eyes reading this has a story about being told, for the very first time:

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