How to Sign "Come Here"
Raise your dominant hand in front of you, shoulder height. Face your palm toward your body and wave your fingers toward yourself, as though beckoning someone over.
Examples Using "Come Here" in a Sentence
1
Please come here.
Sign 'PLEASE' by rubbing an open hand in a circle on your chest, then raise your dominant hand to shoulder height, palm facing you, and wave your fingers toward yourself to sign 'COME HERE'.
2
I need you to come here right now.
Point to the person, sign 'NEED', then perform the beckoning motion for 'COME HERE' by waving your fingers toward your body, followed by 'NOW'. Use a firm facial expression to show urgency.
3
Can the doctor come here?
Sign 'DOCTOR', then use the 'COME HERE' sign by raising your hand and waving your fingers toward your body. Be sure to raise your eyebrows throughout the sentence to indicate a yes/no question.
How to Sign "Come Here"
Raise your dominant hand in front of you, shoulder height. Face your palm toward your body and wave your fingers toward yourself, as though beckoning someone over.
Visual Logic(Etymology)
The sign for 'come here' is highly iconic, meaning it looks exactly like the action it represents. It borrows heavily from a natural, universally recognized gesture for beckoning someone. By facing your palm toward yourself and waving your fingers inward, you are creating a visual representation of pulling or guiding a person from their current location over to your space. Because ASL is a visual-spatial language, leveraging these intuitive, physical motions makes the sign incredibly easy for beginners to remember and use naturally in everyday conversation.
Signing Tips
When signing 'come here,' make sure your palm is facing directly toward your body, rather than facing up or down. The beckoning movement should come primarily from your fingers and wrist, while keeping your arm relatively stable at shoulder height. It is also crucial to pair this sign with eye contact and an appropriate facial expression. If you are warmly inviting a friend over, use a gentle wave and a smile. If you are urgently calling someone, use a sharper, faster finger wave with a stern facial expression to convey your tone.
Common Mistakes
A frequent mistake beginners make is using just the index finger to hook or point toward themselves. While that is a common gesture in spoken English culture, the standard ASL sign described here uses all the fingers waving together toward the body. Another common error is dropping the hand too low; remember to keep it raised at shoulder height for clear visibility. Finally, avoid flipping your palm upward, as this breaks the standard form of the sign and can make your signing look awkward or confusing to native signers.
Regional Variations
This sign is widely used and understood across the ASL community with minimal regional variation.
Examples Using "Come Here" in a Sentence
1Please come here.
Sign 'PLEASE' by rubbing an open hand in a circle on your chest, then raise your dominant hand to shoulder height, palm facing you, and wave your fingers toward yourself to sign 'COME HERE'.
2I need you to come here right now.
Point to the person, sign 'NEED', then perform the beckoning motion for 'COME HERE' by waving your fingers toward your body, followed by 'NOW'. Use a firm facial expression to show urgency.
3Can the doctor come here?
Sign 'DOCTOR', then use the 'COME HERE' sign by raising your hand and waving your fingers toward your body. Be sure to raise your eyebrows throughout the sentence to indicate a yes/no question.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this sign the same as the sign for 'come'?
Yes, 'come' and 'come here' generally use the same beckoning motion. However, 'come' can sometimes be signed with two index fingers pointing toward you, depending on the context. For beginners, the waving hand is perfectly understood for both.
Do I use one hand or two hands for this sign?
You only need to use your dominant hand for 'come here'. Using two hands might look like you are frantically waving someone over in an emergency, which drastically changes the tone of your message.
How do I show urgency when signing 'come here'?
To make the sign more urgent, speed up the waving motion of your fingers and use a serious or intense facial expression. The faster and sharper the movement, the more urgent the command appears to the receiver.
ASL is a beautiful, expressive language. Practice regularly and have fun!