Semaphore flags

How flag semaphore works

Semaphore signals letters with two flags held at arm’s length. Each arm points in one of eight directions, 45° apart, like the hands of a clock, and every letter is one combination of two directions. The chart shows each figure as if the signaller were facing you, so the arm on the left of the drawing is the signaller’s right arm.

Between words both flags are lowered and crossed in front of the body. This is the rest position, and it is shown between words in the translator.

Numbers in semaphore

Numbers start with the numerals sign: the right arm at 12 o’clock and the left arm at 1:30. After it, the letters A to I stand for the digits 1 to 9 and K stands for 0. J ends the numbers and goes back to letters, so J is never used as a digit.

Some sources describe the numerals sign with the flags crossed above the head. These figures draw it as the right arm at 12 and the left arm at 1:30. There is also a cancel sign, which tells the reader to ignore the previous signal.

Other codes

Morse code is a different code for other signals: see the Morse code translator and SOS in Morse code. All the ciphers are on the scout codes page.