What shape is the black hoist panel on Kuwait's national flag?

The black hoist panel on Kuwait’s national flag is a trapezoid.

Kuwait’s flag combines three horizontal bands—green, white, and red—with a black trapezoid attached to the hoist, the side nearest the flagpole. Its slanted outer edges distinguish it from a rectangle, while its four-sided outline rules out triangle and rhombus. The shape is sometimes described more precisely as an acute trapezium in British usage.

The current flag was adopted on 7 September 1961 and officially hoisted on 24 November of that year. It replaced older Kuwaiti flags that were primarily red and white, sometimes bearing Arabic inscriptions or religious text. The new design uses the four pan-Arab colours, which also appear on several other national flags in the region.

Traditional interpretations connect the colours with Arab dynasties and imagery: white with noble deeds, black with battles, green with fertile land, and red with swords. These associations are often linked to a poem by Safi al-Din al-Hilli. The black shape also makes Kuwait’s flag especially recognisable among Gulf flags.