Meaning
Greece's flag showcases a striking design of nine equal horizontal stripes alternating between blue and white, with a white cross on a blue square in the upper left corner. The nine stripes are said to represent the nine syllables of the Greek motto "Eleftheria i Thanatos" (Freedom or Death), a rallying cry from the War of Independence. The cross symbolizes Orthodox Christianity, deeply central to Greek identity and history.
This flag carries immense cultural weight and appears constantly in messages about Greece—whether discussing travel to Athens or the islands, celebrating Greek Independence Day (March 25), or expressing solidarity with Greek causes. People use it lightheartedly when referencing Greek food, philosophy, mythology, or the iconic Mediterranean lifestyle. It's one of the most recognizable flags globally, partly due to Greece's prominence in Western history and tourism.
The Greek flag holds particular resonance during major events like the Olympics (Greece hosted in 1896 and 2004) or when discussing European politics and culture. Design consistency is strong across platforms. Approved as part of Unicode Emoji 2.0 in 2015, the flag has become a staple in digital conversations about one of the world's most historically influential nations.
Common Uses
- • Planning a Greek vacation or discussing travel
- • Celebrating Greek culture and mythology
- • Supporting Greece in sports or politics
- • Reacting to Greek food or Mediterranean vibes
Popular Combos
Did You Know?
The blue and white color scheme of the Greek flag was officially standardized in 1969, but the symbolism of these colors—representing the sea and sky surrounding the Greek islands—resonates with Greek identity for centuries prior.
Keywords
Appears in Topics
Related Emoji
Technical Reference
Platform Shortcodes
:greece: :flag-gr: :greece: Developer Codes
| HTML (decimal) | 🇬🇷 |
| HTML (hex) | 🇬🇷 |
| CSS | \1F1EC\1F1F7 |
| JavaScript | \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDF7 |
| Python | \U0001F1EC\U0001F1F7 |
| Java | \uD83C\uDDEC\uD83C\uDDF7 |
| Perl | \x{1F1EC}\x{1F1F7} |
| PHP / Ruby | \x{1F1EC}\x{1F1F7} |
| Punycode | xn--2qcs-2qd3 |
| URL Encoded | %F0%9F%87%AC%F0%9F%87%B7 |
| UTF-8 Bytes | 0xF0 0x9F 0x87 0xAC 0xF0 0x9F 0x87 0xB7 |
🇬🇷 in 28 languages
Names sourced from Unicode CLDR and emojibase.
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Bengali | পতাকা: গ্রীস |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 旗: 希腊 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 旗子:希臘 |
| Danish | Grækenland |
| Dutch | vlag: Griekenland |
| English | flag: Greece |
| English (UK) | flag: Greece |
| Estonian | lipp: Kreeka |
| Finnish | lippu: Kreikka |
| French | drapeau : Grèce |
| German | Flagge: Griechenland |
| Hindi | झंडा: यूनान |
| Hungarian | zászló: Görögország |
| Italian | bandiera: Grecia |
| Japanese | 旗: ギリシャ |
| Korean | 깃발: 그리스 |
| Lithuanian | vėliava: Graikija |
| Malay | bendera: Greece |
| Norwegian | flagg: Hellas |
| Polish | flaga: Grecja |
| Portuguese | bandeira: Grécia |
| Russian | флаг: Греция |
| Spanish | Bandera: Grecia |
| Spanish (Mexico) | Bandera: Grecia |
| Swedish | flagga: Grekland |
| Thai | ธง: กรีซ |
| Ukrainian | прапор: Греція |
| Vietnamese | cờ: Hy Lạp |