How to sign Wh-Questions in American Sign Language (ASL)

March 12, 2026
by Michelle Jay

Wh-Questions are questions that require more than yes or no answers. The wh-questions words are who, where, when, what, which, why, and how. When signing wh-questions in American Sign Language (ASL), you’ll also learn how important it is to use non-manual markers (NMM)!

But wait, what is non-manual markers? NNM consists of various facial expressions and body movements that are added to signs to create meaning. The examples are head nods, head shakes, shoulder shrug, eyebrow raised, and more!

Watch this video to learn how to sign all the Wh-Questions with appropriate NNM. These are a great start to learn ASL and NNM as a beginner.

While asking wh-questions, there are three important NNM to use:

lower your eyebrows
lean your head forward
hold the last sign in your sentence (which is usually the wh-question word)

If you didn’t notice, we suggest you watch it again and practice in the mirror! If you would like to watch this video at a slower speed, you can! You can do this by clicking the settings on the bottom right of the YouTube video, click “playback speed,” and adjust it.

Are you ready to learn more?!

via GIPHY

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Happy signing!

Michelle Jay

Michelle Jay is the founder of StartASL.com. She earned a Bachelor‘s Degree in Deaf Studies, with an emphasis in teaching, from one of the nation’s premier programs at California State University, Northridge. Michelle is a published author and has contributed thought-provoking articles to academic publishers such as Greenhaven Press. Her unique articles have done much to support Deaf Culture, and have been printed in resource publications such as American Chronicle and Perspectives on Diseases & Disorders: Deafness & Hearing Impairments.

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