The desire for peace has inspired symbols across every culture and era. From the iconic peace sign to ancient olive branches, these symbols carry deep meaning. Here's every peace symbol you need to know, with history and copy-paste ready characters.
The circle with three lines (☮) is the most recognized peace symbol worldwide. Designed in 1958 by British artist Gerald Holtom for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), it combines the semaphore signals for N and D (nuclear disarmament) inside a circle.
The dove has symbolized peace since ancient times. In the biblical story of Noah, a dove returned with an olive branch signaling the flood was over. Pablo Picasso's 1949 lithograph of a dove became the definitive modern peace dove, commissioned for the World Peace Congress in Paris.
The olive branch has represented peace for over 3,000 years, originating in ancient Greece where it was associated with Eirene, the goddess of peace. Winners of the ancient Olympic Games received olive wreaths (kotinos) as symbols of victory and peaceful competition.
The white flag has been the universal symbol of truce and surrender since at least the Han Dynasty in China (206 BCE - 220 CE). In Western tradition, it dates back to the Middle Ages. It signals a request for parley or peaceful negotiation.
Winston Churchill popularized the V-sign (✌) as a victory symbol during World War II. In the 1960s, the anti-war movement adopted it as a peace symbol. The palm-out V means peace or victory; palm-in can be an insult in some countries (particularly the UK).
In Japanese culture, the crane (🐦) symbolizes peace and longevity. The story of Sadako Sasaki, a Hiroshima survivor who folded 1,000 paper cranes before dying of leukemia, made origami cranes an international symbol of peace. The Thousand Cranes tradition continues worldwide.
The 🧘 meditation emoji represents inner peace and mindfulness. While not a traditional peace symbol, it's become popular in modern digital communication to express tranquility and calm.
The rainbow peace flag was designed in 1961 by Aldo Capitini, an Italian pacifist. It features seven colors (purple, blue, aqua, green, yellow, orange, red) with the word "PACE" (Italian for peace) in the center. It became widely used during peace demonstrations worldwide.
Peace symbols work great in social media bios, captions, and messages:
Explore more symbols in our complete symbol collection and ancient symbols guide.