To sign "east," form the ASL letter 'E' with your dominant hand, keeping your palm facing forward. Start with your hand in front of your chest. Then, move your hand in a straight line to your right side, representing the direction of east on a map.
Sign 'sun' and 'rise', then sign 'east' by forming the 'E' handshape and sliding it smoothly to your right.
After signing 'we' and 'travel', use the 'E' handshape moving to the right to indicate your direction of travel.
Sign 'I' and 'live', then sign 'east' by moving your 'E' hand to the right, followed by the sign for 'coast'.
Sign 'sun' and 'rise', then sign 'east' by forming the 'E' handshape and sliding it smoothly to your right.
After signing 'we' and 'travel', use the 'E' handshape moving to the right to indicate your direction of travel.
Sign 'I' and 'live', then sign 'east' by moving your 'E' hand to the right, followed by the sign for 'coast'.
You always move your hand to your right when signing "east," regardless of which hand is your dominant one. In ASL, the space around your body acts like a map, so east is always to the right. Left-handed signers will simply move their hand across their body.
Think of a standard map hanging on the wall right in front of you. North goes up, south goes down, east goes to your right, and west goes to your left. The initialized handshapes ('N', 'S', 'E', 'W') always move in those exact corresponding directions.
Yes, it is best to keep your palm facing forward (away from your body) while making the 'E' handshape and sliding it to the right. This keeps the letter clearly visible and legible to the person you are conversing with.
