To sign "I love you" in American Sign Language (ASL), you extend your thumb, index finger, and little finger while keeping your middle and ring fingers down, forming the combined letters I, L, and Y (ILY). This hand shape is then directed toward the person you are communicating with. It is a widely recognized and powerful sign used to express love and affection, both romantically and platonically. Typically, you use your dominant hand (the one you write with) to make this sign.
The sign ILY combines the three fingerspelling letters: "I" (little finger), "L" (thumb and index finger forming an L shape), and "Y" (thumb and little finger extended). It is often used to express love in a casual or friendly manner but can also be used in intimate contexts depending on the situation.
In addition to the ILY sign, there are other ways to sign love in ASL, such as crossing both hands over the chest to signify love more seriously, or other signs for different kinds of love like romantic affection.
Thus, the simplest and most common way to say "I love you" in sign language is the ILY hand sign.
