Malaysia Flag: Meaning, Colors, History & Facts
Malaysia’s national flag, the Jalur Gemilang, has 14 red-and-white stripes with a dark-blue canton containing a yellow crescent and 14-point star.
What does the Malaysian flag look like?
The flag has 14 equal horizontal red-and-white stripes. A dark-blue canton contains a yellow crescent and a 14-point yellow star.
Why are there 14 stripes?
The stripes represent Malaysia’s 13 states together with the Federal Government.
Why does the star have 14 points?
The 14-point star represents the same federal union as the stripes.
What does the crescent mean?
The yellow crescent represents Islam, while yellow itself is the traditional royal color of the Malay Rulers.
Explore the 14 stripes, star and crescent →
What does blue mean?
Malaysia’s government describes blue as representing unity through peace and obedience among the people.
Who designed the flag?
The original Federation of Malaya flag was designed by Mohamed bin Hamzah, an architect with the Johor Public Works Department.
How did the flag develop?
The Federation of Malaya flag was first raised officially in 1950. It was later adapted when Malaysia was formed in 1963, and in 1997 the national flag was officially named Jalur Gemilang.
Read the Malaysia flag history →
Malaysia flag facts
| Name | Jalur Gemilang |
|---|---|
| Stripes | 14 |
| Star points | 14 |
| Designer | Mohamed bin Hamzah |
| First official raising | May 26, 1950 |
| Name adopted | 1997 |
How can you identify Malaysia’s flag?
Count the stripes and points. Malaysia uses 14 red-and-white stripes and a yellow 14-point star beside a yellow crescent inside a dark-blue canton. That combination separates it from other striped flags with stars.
Why do the stripes and star both use 14?
The repeated number reinforces the same constitutional idea twice: the union of 13 states with the Federal Government. The flag therefore encodes federal structure in both the stripes and the star.
Why is yellow used for the crescent and star?
Yellow is the royal color associated with the Malay Rulers, so the symbols combine federal unity, monarchy and Islam within the canton.
Malaysia flag FAQ
What does Jalur Gemilang mean?
It is commonly translated as “Stripes of Glory.”
When did the flag receive that name?
In 1997.
Who designed the original federation flag?
Mohamed bin Hamzah.
