What is the Hogwarts motto in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe?

The Hogwarts motto in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter universe is “Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus.”

The Latin phrase appears on the Hogwarts crest and is commonly translated as “Never tickle a sleeping dragon.” It presents the school with a humorous but memorable warning: do not provoke a dangerous creature unnecessarily.

The motto is different from a spell. “Expecto patronum,” for example, is a magical incantation used to produce a Patronus, while the Hogwarts motto is an institutional phrase associated with the school and its heraldic emblem.

Hogwarts was founded by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The crest combines symbols associated with the four houses, while the motto gives the school a shared identity beyond its house divisions.