Flag of Nepal

What the flag of Nepal looks like

The Nepali flag is formed from two pennants, one on top of the other, creating an outline with several angles and no straight right-hand edge. The flag is taller than it is wide. Both pennants are crimson red with a deep blue border.

The upper pennant carries a white crescent moon. The lower pennant carries a white sun with twelve points. All the lines and angles are described by a geometric construction in the constitution of Nepal, which defines the flag step by step with a series of measurements. The shape is so unusual that it is hard to draw correctly from memory, and many people ask how to draw the Nepal flag.

Because of this shape, the flag is not shown in a rectangular frame on many websites. It is the only non-quadrilateral national flag in use. On screens it can be seen as the Nepal flag emoji, and a ready file is on the download page.

Nepal flag meaning and symbolism

Every part of the flag has been given a meaning:

• Crimson is the national color of Nepal. It is also the color of the rhododendron, the national flower, and it stands for bravery.
• The blue border stands for peace and harmony.
• The moon represents the calm and cool character of the Nepali people and the cool climate of the Himalayas. Some historians link the moon to the kings, seen as the lunar dynasty.
• The sun represents the resolve and fierce spirit of the Nepalis, and the hot lowlands of the Terai region. Some historians link the sun to the Rana rulers, seen as the solar dynasty.
• Together, the sun and the moon express the hope that the nation will last as long as these two bodies in the sky.

The sun and moon are also read as peace and hard work, or as the two main religions of the country, Hinduism and Buddhism. The two triangles are often compared to the Himalayan peaks. These are popular explanations rather than official ones.

History of the Nepal flag

Nepal's flag developed from the triangular pennants that were common in the Indian subcontinent. Many accounts date the double pennant to King Prithvi Narayan Shah, after he unified the small principalities of Nepal. The flag is a combination of two single pennants once used by rival branches of the ruling dynasty.

The older double-pennant flag was a simpler version of the modern one, and its sun and moon were drawn with stylized human faces. The current design was adopted with the constitution of 16 December 1962, under King Mahendra, which fixed the precise geometry and removed the faces. In 2008, during the drafting of a new constitution, some parties demanded changes because the flag was seen as symbolizing Hinduism and the monarchy, but the proposal was rejected. The 2015 constitution still contains the instructions for drawing the flag.

Other flags people confuse with Nepal's

Searches for "Nepal flag" often turn up flags that are not the national flag. The colorful rows of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags seen across the mountain passes of Nepal are religious cloths, not a national symbol. The One Piece pirate flag is a symbol from a Japanese manga series that has been carried by protesters in several countries, and it has nothing to do with Nepal's official flag.

For flags on the Indian subcontinent, you may also want to see India and Bhutan, or browse all flags of Asia.