Look up every flag semaphore letter, or spell out your own message.
Flag semaphore encodes each letter of the alphabet as a unique pair of arm positions, one signal per person holding a flag in each hand. Every arm can rest in one of eight positions spaced 45° apart, like the hours on a clock face, 12:00 (straight up), 1:30, 3:00 (straight out to the side), 4:30, 6:00 (straight down), 7:30, 9:00 and 10:30. Combining a position for the left arm with a position for the right arm gives 26 distinct, unambiguous shapes, one per letter A-Z. A separate "numerals" sign switches the shapes for A through I into the digits 1 through 9, and the shape for K into 0, J itself is never a digit; it is reused as the "letters follow" sign that switches back out of numeral mode. This tool reproduces every position from the same verified semaphore reference diagrams used in scouting handbooks and maritime signal charts, so you can look up any letter or type a message to see exactly how it would be signaled.
Paste the code into your HTML and the tool shows up on your page, without J-Kit's navigation and ads. It still runs in the browser of whoever visits your site.
<iframe
src="https://jkit.tools/embed/en-US/semaphore-alphabet"
width="100%"
height="600"
style="border:0"
loading="lazy"
title="Semaphore Alphabet"
></iframe>These references help contextualize formulas, standards, APIs and limitations used on this page. They do not replace professional validation when a result has legal, financial, medical or operational impact.
Flag semaphore is a system for sending messages across a distance using two hand-held flags, one in each hand, held at fixed angles to spell out letters. It grew out of 19th-century optical telegraph signaling and was standardized by navies for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication, later becoming a staple skill in scouting and sea cadet training worldwide.
| Letter | Digit | Left arm | Right arm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:00 | 7:30 | |
| 2 | 6:00 | 9:00 | |
| 3 | 6:00 | 10:30 | |
| 4 | 6:00 | 12:00 | |
| 5 | 1:30 | 6:00 | |
| 6 | 3:00 | 6:00 | |
| 7 | 4:30 | 6:00 | |
| 8 | 7:30 | 9:00 | |
| 9 | 7:30 | 10:30 | |
| — | 3:00 | 12:00 | |
| 0 | 12:00 | 7:30 | |
| — | 1:30 | 7:30 | |
| — | 3:00 | 7:30 | |
| — | 4:30 | 7:30 | |
| — | 10:30 | 9:00 | |
| — | 12:00 | 9:00 | |
| — | 1:30 | 9:00 | |
| — | 3:00 | 9:00 | |
| — | 4:30 | 9:00 | |
| — | 12:00 | 10:30 | |
| — | 1:30 | 10:30 | |
| — | 4:30 | 12:00 | |
| — | 3:00 | 1:30 | |
| — | 4:30 | 1:30 | |
| — | 3:00 | 10:30 | |
| — | 3:00 | 4:30 |
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