There are a ton of new emojis coming out every few updates. One category of these emotes are the flag emojis. Since there are a lot of different countries and their respective flags, here is a list of the most recognizable ones and the deeper meanings behind them.
United States of America
The American flag emoji is the Stars and Stripes. It is named as such since the design on the flag is horizontal stripes made out of the colors red and white and small white stars on the upper left corner of the flag on a blue rectangle background. The 13 lines represent the US’s original colonies and 50 stars for each of the different states.
The flag has undergone many changes and versions in the past. But the one we are most familiar with was made for Independence Day in 1960 and has been used since then. This flag emoji is one of the most recognizable because of the US’s popularity as one of the major western countries in the world.
United Kingdom
The English flag emoji or the United Kingdom flag is named the “Union Jack” or the “Union Flag.” It is called as such since the flag is a combination of the different crosses of the countries under one sovereignty. These countries are the Kingdom of England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Its color scheme, red, white, and blue, is similar to the USA’s flag because the past immigrants in the US mostly came from the United Kingdom. The colors mean peace for white, bravery for red, and justice for blue. This flag emoji is easily recognizable by many since the UK has a history of colonizing different countries in the past.
Canada
The Canadian flag emoji is called the Maple Leaf or L’Unifolié. Although Canada is in North America, its flag has a French name since French is one of the country’s official federal languages. The current design has been the national flag of Canada since 1965. The colors used on the flag, red and white, are the country’s national colors.
The Canadian flag pattern is a red maple leaf on a white background with both the left and right edges of the flag having a red area as well. The maple leaf in the middle symbolizes Canada and has come to mean peace, tolerance, and unity. This flag emoji is unique since it is the only flag with a leaf in its design, and it’s frequently used during February for the National Flag of Canada Day.
Japan
The Japanese flag’s name sounds awesome. It’s the Rising Sun. Being located in the eastern part of Asia, Japan was known to be the Land of the Rising Sun since the sun “rises” from the east, hence the flag’s name. Its design is a simple one. It has a red circle on a clean white background.
The red circle or disk in the flag represents Amaterasu or the Japanese sun goddess that founded Japan, and the surrounding white represents the integrity and honesty of the Japanese. A lot can recognize this flag emoji because of Japan’s many contributions to the world.
People’s Republic of China
China’s emoji flag is aptly named Wu Xīng Hóng Qí or the Five-star Red Flag. The flag’s design is gold or yellow stars on the upper left corner on a stark red background. The color red symbolizes the Communist revolution in China and the five gold stars represent the unity of the Chinese under its government, the Communist Party.
The positioning of the stars also has meaning. There is a big star near the corner and four smaller stars on its lower right surrounding it like a half-moon. It symbolizes the unity of the people (4 stars) for the greater good (big star). Since the Chinese and China have a significant impact on the world’s economy, their flag emoji is one of the most recognized.
South Africa
The South African flag is called the Flag of South Africa. This flag emoji is one of the most colorful flags in the world. The color scheme has six different colors, and each has its meaning. The current flag of South Africa is relatively young and was created after the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990.
The flag’s colors are black, green, yellow, red, white, and blue. The colors green, black, and yellow were from Mandela’s African National Congress banner while the blue, red, and white were taken from the old flag’s design. The SA flag emoji is gaining popularity since there has been an increase of South African pride due to movie representation and political issues.
Takeaway
There are almost 300 flags in the whole world, and not all of them have emojis. They all have different shapes and designs, and the ones in this article are the most popular and recognizable flag emojis out there. One thing is similar to all of these flags, and that is it represents each of our countries.
