What are the parts of a flag called?

The hoist is the half of the flag nearest the pole, and the fly is the half farthest from it. The field is the background color. The canton is the upper corner by the pole. A charge is any symbol placed on the field, and fimbriation is a thin border between colors.

The same words also describe size. Hoist can mean the flag's height along the pole, and fly can mean its length. The obverse is the front, seen with the pole on your left, and the reverse is the back. Most flags are simply mirrored on the reverse.

The stars on the US flag sit in the canton. The white and gold lines on the South African flag are fimbriation. The parts of a flag guide walks through a labeled layout, and the glossary has entries for the hoist, fly and field.