Swastik Symbol 卐: Copy, Meaning and How to Type

Meaning of Swastik Symbol

The word swastik (स्वस्तिक) comes from Sanskrit: su means good and asti means "it is". Put together, it means "may all be well". So the symbol of swastik is a wish for well-being, not just for one person but for the home, the family and everyone around.

The sign is a cross with four arms, and each arm bends at a right angle. Traditional teachers explain the four arms in several ways. Common explanations include:

• the four directions (north, south, east and west)
• the four Vedas
• the four goals of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha
• the four stages of life (ashramas)

These are interpretations shared by families and priests. None of them is the only correct one, and different regions explain it in their own way.

Swastik Symbol in Hindu Homes, Pujas and Festivals

The swastik symbol in Hindu practice is drawn at the start of something new, much like saying "Shri Ganesh" before beginning work. Here is where you will usually find it:

In Gujarati homes it is lovingly called the sathiya symbol, and children learn to draw a sathiya with a dot between each pair of arms. Many people choose a brass or wooden swastik symbol for home entrances, often next to ॐ. See the om symbol page for that pairing.

Swastik Symbol Direction and the Four Dots

In Hindu and Jain use, the swastik is drawn standing upright, with the arms turning clockwise: the top arm bends to the right. The character 卐 shows this shape. Outside India the same hindu swastika symbol is usually spelled with an "a" at the end. The other form, 卍, has arms turning the other way.

The four dots placed between the arms are a common part of the Indian sathiya. Families usually draw it in red (kumkum or sindoor) or yellow (haldi), the colours of auspicious occasions. When people search for the real swastik symbol or the original swastika symbol, this upright, coloured sign with four dots is the one Indian homes have drawn for generations.

Jain Swastik Symbol and Buddhist Swastika Symbol

Jainism: the jain swastik symbol is one of the eight auspicious signs (ashtamangala) of the faith and appears in the Jain Prateek emblem. Jains explain its four arms as the four states of existence a soul can be born into: heavenly beings, humans, animals and plants, and hell beings. Above it are three dots for the three jewels (right faith, right knowledge, right conduct) and a crescent with a dot for liberation. The swastik is also the emblem of the seventh Tirthankara, Suparshvanatha. Read more on the Jain symbol page.

Buddhism: the buddhist swastika symbol often faces left (卍). It is seen on Buddha statues, often on the chest, and in temple art. In Japan it is called manji, and 卍 marks Buddhist temples on many maps. See the Buddhism symbol page for other Buddhist signs.

Swastik and the 20th-Century Nazi Emblem

In the 20th century, the Nazi party in Germany took a version of this ancient shape as its emblem: a black, tilted hooked cross (called the Hakenkreuz in German) set inside a white circle. Because of that history, many people in Europe, North America and other places connect the shape only with hatred, and they may not know the Indian meaning at all. The Indian swastik is a separate, far older sacred sign that is usually upright, coloured and drawn with dots. When you share it with an international audience, add a short line of context, for example "Swastik, a Hindu symbol of well-being", so your good wishes are understood as you mean them.

How to Type the Swastik Symbol Text

There is no Alt code for the swastik symbol, and there is no swastika symbol emoji on phone keyboards. Use these methods:

1. Copy and paste: tap 卐 above, then paste in WhatsApp, Word or Google Docs.
2. Microsoft Word: type 5350 and press Alt+X for 卐, or 534D then Alt+X for 卍.
3. Tibetan forms: 0FD5 then Alt+X gives ࿕, and 0FD7 then Alt+X gives ࿗ (with dots). These need a font that supports Tibetan, so they may show as a box on some devices.
4. Mac: press Control+Command+Space and search the code 5350.
5. Web pages: use 卐 in HTML.

Because 卐 comes from the Chinese and Japanese character set, its lines may look thin. For a bold, coloured swastik on a card, the PNG download usually looks better.