There are many different symbols that connote friendship — from interlinked hearts to friendship arrows and other symbols originating from all over the world. These symbols engraved on jewelry or worn as part of a tattoo all mean the same thing: camaraderie, loyalty and all the other traits and characteristics of friendship. Below are some of these symbols most commonly used and given to friends.
Friendship is one of the most divine relationships on earth. It carries the essence of all other relations. A friend can be caring like a mother, strict like a father, possessive like a brother, affectionate like a sister and shower loads of love like a lover. In fact, life is incomplete without friends. For the longest time, symbols have been a way of expressing friendship.
Speaking concerning symbolic language dates back to the Victorian era; some even say it goes back even further. Back in that era, expressing emotions with symbols became popular. Love and friendship are some of the most common symbolically expressed feelings. Over decades, throughout the world, men and women have relied upon symbols to represent their unsaid words and feelings. Each kind of emotion has a particular set of symbols to express the various levels of that specific emotion.
Here are some of the most well-known friendship symbols.
Friendship Bracelets
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The friendship bracelet is a bracelet braided or woven using different coloured embroidery floss or threads. Friendship bracelets originated from the Native Americans and were given as a sign of friendship. If you are given a friendship bracelet, you should wear it until the threads fray or break. In wearing a friendship bracelet, you honour the hard work and effort put into making them. If you remove the bracelet, it is an indication that your friendship has gone sour. Some even say that you are entitled to a wish and that the wish will come true if the bracelet falls off naturally. |
Lapis Lazuli
| This blue gemstone is considered a symbol of friendship and universal truth. This semiprecious stone is coloured a deep blue and is believed by people all over the world to promote harmony in relationships. Some even believe that it helps you state your opinions openly. This stone is also known to promote clear thinking, emotional healing, and wisdom. |
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The Claddagh Symbol
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This Celtic (or Irish) symbol is represented by two hands holding a heart between them, with a crown on top of the heart. Some say that the expression used to explain this symbol is “With my two hands, I give you my heart, and crown it with my loyalty.” The symbol is used to represent friendship, love, and loyalty. It is said that if you wear this ring on your right hand, with the crown turned inwards, it means that you are single. If you wear it with the crown turned outward, it says that you are romantically involved. If you wear the ring on your left hand, with the crown turned outwards, it means you are engaged. |
Arrows of Friendship
| For Native Americans, two arrows that cross at the center are used as a symbol of bringing together two clans or two people. In essence, these two arrows represent friendship. |
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The Jade Plant
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This succulent plant has small pink and white flowers and is a symbol of friendship. The leaves of the Jade plant, which are a deep green, are representative of the energy and joy that comes with a deep friendship. Give your best friend a Jade plant on her birthday or for Christmas. The sweet fragrance of this plant symbolizes your bond. |
A Yellow Rose
| Don’t give a girl a yellow rose unless you just want to be friends with her. A rose of this colour symbolizes a true, close bond—but not the romantic kind. You can, however, give this to someone you’re already in a relationship with to signify that you want your relationship to go to a much deeper level or simply to tighten your bond with him or her. |
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A Rhodonite Ball
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Also known as a rescue stone, this spherical talisman is given to a friend with whom you have a strong and stable bond. |
Chrysanthemums
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Japanese use these dainty flowers (or “Kikus,” as they are called) as a gift for friends. This flower has been a symbol of friendship in Japanese culture for many years. Close friends exchange Chrysanthemums for representing virtue and their tight friendship. While the flower grows, it also symbolizes the growth of their bond. |
 The Chinese symbol for friendship. |
 Interlocking hearts are a well-known symbol of friendship and love. This symbol can be used to express deep friendship or love. |
 Pikorua – This is a Maori twist symbol that resembles an intertwined new-growth Pikopiko fern frond found in the damp woods of New Zealand. It represents the beauty, strength, and endurance of the bond of loyal friendship between two people. It is also symbolic of the crisscrossing and interlinked paths of life of friends. True friends share an eternal connection that will not weaken even when the persons are separated at times. Pendants inspired by this symbol are often gifted to friends to celebrate a lasting and loving relationship. |
 Ese Ne Tekrema – Ese Ne Tekrema, literally meaning ‘the teeth and the tongue,’ is an Adinkra symbol of friendship. Adinkra symbols are West African symbols of the Asante (Ghana) people from the kingdom of Gayaman. Ese Ne Tekrema is a pictorial representation of a tongue and teeth. The tongue and the teeth have different but interdependent roles. They exist together inside the mouth and can come into conflict, but they still work together. This way, Ese Ne Tekrema symbolizes the close, mutually supporting and h |
