The National Emblem of Malaysia (Jata Negara in Malay) consists a shield guarded by two tigers. On the top of the is the yellow crescent with a 14-pointed star. A banner with the phrase "Unity is Strength" (Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu) written in both romanized Malay and jawi on it is located below the shield. The original English words were replaced by jawi sometime after independence.

The yellow color of the crescent and the star symbolize the King. Furthermore, the crescent represents Islam while the star represents the 13 states and the federal government of Malaysia. The 14-pointed star originally represented the original 14 states of Malaysia which includes Singapore. It was not changed when Singapore left the federation, but it has generally been accepted that the 14th point represent the federal government.

The two tigers supporting the shield are traditional Malay symbols. They are retained from the earlier armorial ensign of the Federation of Malaya, and prior to that of the Federated Malay States.

Five krises are located within the upper red rectangle. The krises are the fives Unfederated Malay States, namely Johore, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis.

Below, there are 4 rectangles colored in red, black, white and yellow. They are to symbolize the Federated Malay States. The permutations of the colors red, black, white and yellow make up the colors of these states' flags. Red, black and yellow are for Negeri Sembilan; black and white for Pahang; black, white and yellow for Perak; and red and yellow for Selangor.

The rest are insignias for the four remaining states. The palm tree along with the bridge represents Penang while the big tree on the opposite end of the shield identifies Malacca. The blue shield is Sabah while the black bird is Sarawak.

The hibiscus flower represents the federation.

This is current Malaysian coat of arms. Previously, a similar coat of arms was used. The original version has different tiger heads with different icons representing Penang, Sabah and Sarawak.