Where does “手旗信号” come from?

手旗信号 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 信号, from Japanese 信, from Middle Chinese 信.

手旗信号 (Japanese): flag semaphore

Definitions

  1. flag semaphore

Ancestry of “手旗信号”, step by step

手旗信号 traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 信号

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese信号a signal; traffic lights
2Japanese信trust, faith
3Middle Chinese信—

via Japanese 手旗

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese手旗a "hand flag"
2Japanese手a hand; a handle, grip; a paw, foreleg
3Middle Chinese手—
Every word from Middle Chinese 信 →Every word from Japanese 信 →Every word from Japanese 信号 →