How to Sign "Wife" in American Sign Language (ASL)

In ASL, "wife" is signed by making a "W" shape with your hand and tapping it on your chin. The sign came from mixing the letter "W" with an old sign that showed how women used to wear bonnets with strings under their chins, and this history makes the sign special. People use this sign everywhere. Some people change the sign a bit by adding words like "my" or "his" to show whose wife they're talking about, which helps make the meaning clear. In places like hospitals or courts, some people spell out W-I-F-E letter by letter.