🇭🇰 flag: Hong Kong SAR China Emoji — Meaning, Copy & Paste

What Does the flag: Hong Kong SAR China Emoji 🇭🇰 Mean?

A red field carries a stylized white five-petal Bauhinia blakeana flower with a small red star at the tip of each petal. The bauhinia is Hong Kong's official flower, and the star tips honor the love Hongkongers have for their motherland China. Red represents China and also festive celebration.

Adopted on July 1, 1997, when the UK handed sovereignty back to China under the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework. The emoji shows up during SAR Establishment Day (July 1), Chinese New Year, and posts about Hong Kong's skyline, dim sum, and Victoria Peak. Travelers tag it with the Star Ferry, Tian Tan Buddha, and harbor-light shows.

Coded in Unicode 6.0 from HK, it pairs with dim-sum, dragon, and skyscraper emojis. The Hong Kong diaspora in the UK, Canada, and Australia uses it during heritage events, sometimes alongside or instead of the colonial-era flag. The Bauhinia blakeana is a hybrid first discovered in Hong Kong in 1880.

The flag's status has become more politically charged after the 2019-2020 protests and the 2020 National Security Law, and the colonial-era flag appears in some opposition posts.