The National Emblem of Malaysia or the Coat of Arms of Malaysia, (known as Jata Negara in Malay) comprises five major elements:

• a Shield (as the escutcheon)
• two Tigers (as supporters)
• a yellow Crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star (as the crest or helm)
• a Banner (as the motto)

As the Malaysian emblem descended from the coat of arms of the Federated Malay States (FMS) during British colonial rule, the current design of the Malaysian arms bears numerous elements of Western heraldry.

Five major elements:

Crest or Helm (Crescent and Federal Star)
The yellow colour symbolises the country's monarchy, and the crescent represents Islam as the official religion while the federal star represents the thirteen states and the Federal Territories of Malaysia.

Escutcheon (Shield)
The escutcheon, represented by a shield, is primarily intended to serve as a representation of states unified under the Malaysian Federation, and is subdivided into ten divisions.

The upper portion of the shield is entirely occupied by a single red field containing five Keris, which represent the five former Unfederated Malay States, namely Johore, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis.

In the middle of the shield, below the row of Keris, are 4 coloured divisions in red, black, white and yellow fields that symbolise the Federated Malay States.
The permutations of the colours 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 remaining divisions contain insignias of the four remaining states. The Pinang palm along with the Penang Bridge on the left represents Pulau Pinang (Penang) while the "Melaka" tree on the right of the shield identifies Melaka (Malacca). At the three center divisions of the shield's bottom, Sabah's coat of arms is included to the left while Sarawak's coat of arms is included to the right.

The hibiscus flower between the coats of arms of Sabah and Sarawak is the national flower of Malaysia.

Supporters (Tigers)
The two rampant 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. They symbolise strength and courage.

Motto (Banner)
The motto of the arms, located below the shield, consists of a banner with the phrase "Unity is Strength" (Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu) written in both romanized Malay and Jawi. The original English words were replaced by Jawi some time after independence.