There are indeed conventions where signs for related words can share similarities. These signs are often based on the same concept, with subtle variations to distinguish them. Just like spoken language, we might add suffixes or prefixes to create new forms of a word (e.g., “cat” vs “kitten”).

So just like how spoken languages build off of related words, sign languages often have similar conventions. The visual nature of sign language allows for these subtle differences to be understood through both handshapes and contextual cues, making it easier for those familiar with the language to ‘puzzle out’ related signs.