Malaysia flag getting mistaken for US flag
The Malaysia flag and the US flag have garnered their fair share of mistaken identity. Who could forget that time when Mark Hamill, the famous actor who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars accidentally tweeted our country’s flag emoji instead of the US’?
Admittedly, America’s flag and our Jalur Gemilang do share a couple of uncanny resemblance. From the primary colours, to the stripes, it’s easy to mistake one for the other, especially when they’re in the form of tiny, itty-bitty emojis.
Usage of Malaysia flag emoji oddly increasing
The world has been closely watching the US election that took place over the span of the past few days. And with that, social media has also been abuzz with imperative information and updates about the election.
In the midst of the congratulatory and disappointed messages from the two ends of the country’s major political party supporters, our Jalur Gemilang has been weirdly caught in the middle of it. Turns out, a whole load of people on Twitter had been using the Malaysia flag emoji in these tweets, as they mistook it for the US flag.
Whether the tweets are on Team Trump or Team Biden, it seems like the case of mistaken identity between the 2 flags is still present and going strong among unsuspecting tweeters. For instance, @RandomNana51 expressed her elation over Joe Biden’s win and congratulated the new president and vice-president of the US, Kamala Harris, in a tweet that ended with a Malaysia flag and some heart emojis.
Image credit: @RandomNana51
Meanwhile on the other end of the spectrum, there’s a Trump supporter @koskidaddy who tweeted his hope for a 2024 presidential bid by Trump, along with the campaign’s 2016 slogan, “Make America Great Again”, in all caps, followed by the Malaysia flag emoji.
Here’s how to tell the difference
Granted, using the wrong flag emoji is an honest and easy mistake to make, given their similarities in a quick glance. So here’s how to tell the difference between Malaysia’s flag, the US’ flag, and even Liberia’s flag, as the latter do sometimes get pulled into the mix of confusion too.
The Malaysia flag
First of all, the Malaysia flag’s official name is called the Jalur Gemilang, meaning Stripes of Glory. The flag has 4 solid colours, namely yellow, red, white, and blue – yellow signifies royal sovereignty, red symbolises courage, white is purity, and the blue canton represents unity among its people.
The Jalur Gemilang is made up of 14 horizontal lines and a 14-point star, both symbolising the 14 states in Malaysia, while the crescent is an insignia of Islam – the dominant religion in Malaysia.
Image credit: Quizlet
The US flag
While both flags share the same red and white horizontal stripes, the upper left components are very different. To start off, the US flag has 50 stars that represent their 50 states The colour blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice.
Its 13 horizontal stripes symbolise the 13 original colonies, with red embodying courage and valour, while white signifies purity and innocence.
The emojis
While the differences are obvious when images of the flags are blown up, you have to admit that it’s easy to mistake 🇲🇾 for 🇺🇸. And sharp-eyed users might also notice another similar-looking flag, 🇱🇷, amidst the rows of emojis.
Liberia’s flag
That flag is the flag of Liberia, or the Republic of Liberia, a West African country. Just like the above 2 flags, the Liberian flag is also made up of red and white horizontal stripes, complete with a blue square and a 5-point star in the corner.
The 11 horizontal stripes represent the same number of people who signed the Liberian Declaration of Independence, while the blue square is a symbol of the African mainland, and the star, representative of the freedom granted to formerly enslaved people who left the US.
The colours, on the other hand, represent similar meanings with the US’ and Malaysia’s flag. Blue signifies liberty and justice, white, purity and sincerity, and red, valour and resoluteness.
Image credit: ESI Africa
Differences between the Malaysia, the US, and Liberia flag
There may never be an occasion that will require us to list down the component of a country’s flag in great detail, but nevertheless, it’s always good to equip ourselves with general knowledge just to be more informed, and avoid future bloopers when texting or tweeting.
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Cover image adapted from: @RandomNana51 and Quizlet
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