Country flag emojis — copy & paste
Flag emoji let you send any country's flag in a message. This page explains how they work, which platforms show them and how to find the one you need.
African flag emojis
Asian flag emojis
European flag emojis
North American flag emojis
South American flag emojis
Oceanian flag emojis
How country flag emoji work
There is no separate emoji for each flag. Each country flag is made from two special characters called regional indicator symbols, which look like the letters A to Z inside a box. They spell out a country's two-letter code from the ISO 3166 standard. The United States is U and S, France is F and R, and Japan is J and P. When both characters sit together, your phone or computer replaces them with the flag.
That is why a flag can appear as two letters, like US, on some devices. Microsoft Windows does not include flag artwork in its emoji font, so flags show up as letters in many Windows apps and browsers. Phones, Macs and most websites display them normally. Our flags of the world list shows all the flags as images, which work on every device.
Other flag emoji
Besides countries, there are a few general flags: the red triangular flag 🚩, used to mark a warning or a red flag in conversation, the white flag 🏳️ for surrender or peace, the black flag 🏴 and the chequered flag 🏁 for racing. Subdivision flags exist for England, Scotland and Wales, built from a black flag plus hidden tag characters. Northern Ireland has no emoji of its own.
Territories mostly get their own two-letter code, such as 🇵🇷 for Puerto Rico. The US Minor Outlying Islands (🇺🇲) have a code too, which is why a second American flag appears on some emoji keyboards. Antarctica (🇦🇶) and the United Nations (🇺🇳) have flags as well.
Frequently asked questions
Why do flag emoji show as letters on Windows?
Windows does not ship with flag artwork in its emoji font, so the two regional indicator letters are shown as they are. Flags show correctly on phones, Macs and most websites.
How do I insert a flag emoji?
On a phone, open the emoji keyboard and go to the Flags tab. On a Mac, press Control, Command and Space. On Windows, press the Windows key and a period, though flags may appear as letters. You can also copy and paste the emoji from a list.
Why are there two American flags in my emoji?
One is the United States flag, and the other is the flag for the US Minor Outlying Islands, which uses the same design on most platforms.
What does the 🚩 emoji mean?
The red triangular flag stands for a warning sign. People use it to mean that something is a red flag, a sign of trouble.