Malaysian Flag: Name, History, and Meaning

The national and country flag of Malaysia is called the Jalur Gemilang, which directly translates to Stripes of Glory. Here’s a brief history of the Malaysian flag, its significance today, and the meaning behind it.

History and design of Malaysian national flag

The Jalur Gemilang was designed before Malaysia’s independence in 1957. The design was chosen from a design competition, which began in 1949 while Malaya (the name of Malaysia before independence) was under the British rule. In 1950, the design was approved by then king of United Kingdom – King George VI. It was designed by an architect named Mohamed Hamzah.

The Jalur Gemilang features red and white stripes, a yellow crescent and star on the top left corner sitting on a blue background. The number of stripes represented the number of states in Malaya, the crescent represents Islam as the official religion of Malaya (The crescent is a classic symbol of Islam), the star symbolizing unity between the states (There are equal number of stripes and points on the stars).

The Malaysian flag you see today was not actually the initial approved version. The first version lasted only till 1963, as the states of Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore joined Malaysia as a nation. With the addition of 3 nations, 3 additional stripes and points were added to the flag.

You can compare the difference of the flags below.

Flag of Malaya with 11 stripes and points. This was used up to 1963 only

Flag of Malaysia with 14 stripes and points. This was used from 1963 onwards till today

Although Singapore left Malaysia to establish themselves as an independent country in 1965, the flag design remained the same.

Also read: Learn basic Malaysian phrases

Colors and meaning of Malaysian flag

There are only 4 colors in the Malaysian flag – red, white, blue, and yellow.

Red signifies persistence, white signifies honesty, blue signifies peace, and yellow signifies the nation’s loyalty to the royal family as yellow is the royal color of Malaysia.

These are the values that the nation hopes to instill in its people.

Malaysian flag’s significance today

In the months of August and September, you’ll see more Malaysian flags in public spaces in conjunction with the celebration of Independence Day on 31^st August and Malaysia Day on 16^th September. It is used as a decoration on public streets, shops, and malls to represent national pride and identity.

The combination of these four colors has also become a symbol of Malaysia in today’s art and design. An example today is the Olympics badminton and Paralympics outfit in the Paris 2024 Olympics, where these main colors were incorporated into the national outfit.