Flags by color · 4 flags
Red, White, Blue and Black Flags
South Korea is the only flag that uses just red, white, blue and black. Antigua & Barbuda, Eswatini and South Africa include all four colors along with others.
Flags that are only red, white, blue and black1
Flags with red, white, blue and black and other colors3
Which countries have red, white, blue and black flags?
South Korea's flag, the Taegukgi, is a white field with a red and blue circle in the center and a set of three black bars in each corner. These bars are called trigrams, and each has a name and meaning: heaven, earth, fire and water.
The other three flags include these colors with extra shades:
- Antigua & Barbuda: a red field with a wedge of black, blue and white and a rising yellow sun.
- Eswatini: blue, yellow and crimson horizontal bands with a black and white shield, spears and staff in the center.
- South Africa: a sideways Y joining black, green, yellow, white, red and blue.
Only South Korea has a white background. The other three are dominated by red, blue or a multicolored Y.
What do the colors mean?
White is the traditional color of Korea and stands for peace and purity. The red and blue taegeuk represents the balance of opposites in the universe, such as day and night or light and dark. The four trigrams stand for heaven, earth, fire and water, and the design as a whole reflects harmony. The first version of the flag was designed in the early 1880s, and the current design has been official since 1948.
Antigua & Barbuda's flag was chosen in a national competition in 1967 and kept at independence in 1981. Its black stands for African ancestry, blue for hope and red for the energy of its people. The bands of black, yellow, blue and white also stand for soil, sun, sea and sand.
Eswatini's shield refers to the Nguni warriors. South Africa's Y shape stands for the convergence of diverse groups of South Africans, moving together into the future, according to the designer's description.
Frequently asked questions
What country has a red, white, blue and black flag?
South Korea. The Taegukgi has a white field, a red and blue taegeuk and four black trigrams.
What do the black trigrams on the South Korean flag mean?
They represent heaven, earth, fire and water.
Which flag has a white field and black bars in the corners?
South Korea. The bars are the four trigrams.
Why is the South Korean flag called the Taegukgi?
The name comes from the taegeuk, the red and blue symbol in the center. The flag has three parts: a white rectangular background, the red and blue taegeuk, and four black trigrams, one in each corner. See the flag of South Korea.
Which red, white, blue and black flags also have yellow?
Antigua & Barbuda and Eswatini add yellow, and South Africa adds yellow and green. That leaves South Korea as the only flag in our collection built from exactly red, white, blue and black. Eswatini's yellow appears as thin stripes beside the red band, and Antigua & Barbuda's as a rising sun.