🇲🇳 The colours of Mongolia

Mongolia’s flag uses red, blue, and yellow. Blue stands for the endless sky, red for lasting strength, and yellow for Buddhism. The Soyombo symbol on the flag brings together ideas of fire, the sun, the moon, earth, water, and the ever-watchful spirit of the Mongol people.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The blue stripe stands for Mongolia’s sky.
• Red stripes express hopes for lasting strength.
• Yellow in the Soyombo symbolises Buddhism.
• The Soyombo symbol includes fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and two fish.
• The flag’s current form was adopted in 1992.

The colours of the flag of Mongolia

The Mongolian flag is made up of three vertical bands: red on both sides and blue in the centre. The blue is said to stand for the sky that stretches endlessly over the country. Red is linked with the hope that Mongolia will remain strong and continue far into the future. On the left red band is the Soyombo, a special symbol made of shapes that each mean something: fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and a pair of fish for the spirit that never rests. The yellow in the Soyombo is associated with Buddhism. These meanings are described in official explanations.

How the colours were chosen of Mongolia

The current flag was introduced in 1992, after Mongolia’s communist period ended. Before that, the flag included a red star above the Soyombo, which was a sign of communism. The artist Dodiin Choidog created the original design. In 2011, the government set out the exact colours to be used. The flag is also used by Mongolians living in Inner Mongolia, although this is discouraged by Chinese authorities.

Official shades and rules of Mongolia

The government decided on the official shades for the flag in July 2011. The flag’s design is fixed: three vertical stripes with the Soyombo symbol placed on the left stripe. The arrangement and use of colours are set by law.