Where does “dấu nháy” come from?

dấu nháy (Vietnamese) comes from Vietnamese dấu, from Proto-Vietic k-toːʔ — trace, footprint.

dấu nháy (Vietnamese): the 𖿱, a small diacritic (or signifier) placed to the right of a phonogram in a Nôm text, chiefly to indicate that this character should not be read with its Sino-Vietnamese value, and can also function as iteration mark; like other diacritical marks/signifiers in other Sino-Xenic languages, such as

Definitions

  1. the 𖿱, a small diacritic (or signifier) placed to the right of a phonogram in a Nôm text, chiefly to indicate that this character should not be read with its Sino-Vietnamese value, and can also function as iteration mark; like other diacritical marks/signifiers in other Sino-Xenic languages, such as

Ancestry of “dấu nháy”, step by step

dấu nháy traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Vietnamese dấu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesedấumark, sign; diacritic; tone
2Proto-Vietick-toːʔtrace, footprint

via Vietnamese nháy

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Vietnamesenháyto flash back and forth (light)
Every word from Proto-Vietic k-toːʔ
dấu nháy — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer