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Flowchart Symbols and Meanings: Each Shape Explained

TL;DR

Flow chart symbols in one table: oval = start/end, rectangle = process, diamond = decision, parallelogram = input/output, plus 18 more shapes, each drawn.

Published October 19, 2026 · Updated October 30, 2026 · 9 min read · by the Sakura5 team

Flowchart Symbols and Meanings: Each Shape Explained

The core flowchart symbols and their meanings are: an oval (terminator) for start and end, a rectangle for a process step, a diamond for a decision, a parallelogram for input or output, and an arrow for the direction of flow. Add the document, cylinder (database), predefined process and connector shapes and you can read almost any chart you will meet at work or school.

Below you will find every common shape drawn and explained in one table, a direct answer on the flowchart start symbol, the symbols grouped by job, a worked example of reading a real chart, and the mistakes that make charts hard to follow.

Why a symbol list alone doesn’t help you read a chart

A flowchart is a sentence written in shapes. Knowing each shape is vocabulary; reading also needs grammar — which shapes can follow which, how many arrows each should have, and what it means when a rule is broken.

The formal standard, ISO 5807, dates from 1985 and still includes symbols for punched cards and magnetic tape. You don’t need those. You need the twenty or so shapes below, and really only the first five to follow most charts.

Flowchart symbols and meanings: the full table

Name	Meaning	Use it when
Terminator (start/end)	Oval or stadium (rounded rectangle). The start or end of the process.	Every chart: one labeled Start, one or more labeled End.
Process	Rectangle. One action or operation.	Any step you can name with a verb: “Weigh parcel.”
Decision	Diamond. A question with fixed answers; the flow branches.	Yes/no or multiple-choice checks. Label every exit.
Input/Output (data)	Parallelogram. Data entering or leaving the process.	A form is submitted, a value is read, a result is returned.
Document	Rectangle with a wavy bottom. A printed or generated document.	Reports, invoices, labels, receipts.
Multi-document	Stacked wavy rectangles. Several documents.	A batch of forms or a set of reports.
Predefined process (subroutine)	Rectangle with double side bars. A sub-process defined elsewhere.	A step that has its own chart, to keep the main one short.
Manual input	Rectangle with a sloped top. Data typed or keyed in by a person.	Entering a PIN, scanning a code by hand.
Manual operation	Trapezoid, wide side up. A step done by hand, not automated.	Physical checks, signing, sorting mail.
Preparation	Hexagon. A setup or initialization step.	Setting a counter or loading settings before a loop.
Delay	D-shape. A waiting period.	“Wait 24 hours,” queue time, approval wait.
Stored data	Rectangle with curved sides. Data stored somewhere, medium unspecified.	Saving to a file or store without naming the system.
Database (direct-access storage)	Cylinder. Data written to or read from a database.	Look up a customer record, write an order row.
Internal storage	Rectangle with an inner corner grid. Data held in memory.	Mostly in software charts: variables, in-memory data.
Display	Pointed left side, curved right. Information shown on a screen.	A result appears to the user on a monitor or phone.
On-page connector	Small circle with a letter. Jump to a matching circle on the same page.	Avoiding long crossing arrows on a busy page.
Off-page connector	Pentagon (home-plate shape). The flow continues on another page.	Charts that span several pages or screens.
Merge	Downward triangle. Several items or flows combined into one.	Joining parts, combining lists.
Extract	Upward triangle. Splitting one flow or set into several.	Pulling a subset out of a batch.
Collate	Hourglass (two triangles). Organizing items into a standard order.	Assembling pages or records into sequence. Rare today.
Annotation (comment)	Open bracket on a dashed line. A note that explains a step.	Clarifying a rule or assumption without adding a step.
Flow line (arrow)	Arrow. The order and direction of the steps.	Between every pair of connected shapes; a back arrow means a loop.

The American Society for Quality publishes a short reference on flowchart symbols and when to use them if you want the formal definitions side by side. For a gentler start with just the core six, see flowchart symbols and meanings for beginners.

The flowchart start symbol

The flowchart start symbol is the terminator: an oval, or a rectangle with fully rounded ends (a stadium shape), labeled “Start” or “Begin.” It has no arrows coming in and exactly one arrow going out to the first step. The same shape, labeled “End” or “Stop,” marks where the process finishes; an end has arrows coming in and none going out.

Use the label to say what triggers the process when it helps: “Start: customer submits order” is clearer than a bare “Start.”
One start per chart. Two starts usually mean two processes squeezed into one drawing.
Don’t use a circle. A small circle is the on-page connector, not a start. Readers will look for its matching letter.
Several ends are fine (“Order complete,” “Order cancelled”), but every branch must reach one.

For more detail, including how software tools draw it and when to name the trigger, read our deeper guide to the flowchart start symbol. If you have seen circles used for start and end in older charts, what the flow chart circle symbol represents explains the difference.

Flowchart symbols grouped by job

Read the groups in this order. The first group alone is enough for most charts.

Flow chart symbols and their meaning, grouped by job — flow chart symbols and their meaning — The first group alone is enough to follow most charts you’ll meet at work or school.

Flow: what happens and in what order — terminator, process, decision, flow line. A process has one arrow in and one out; a decision has one in and two or more labeled exits; an arrow pointing back up the page is a loop.
Data: what goes in and comes out — input/output, manual input, document, multi-document, display.
Storage: where data rests — database cylinder, stored data, internal storage.
Structure: how the chart holds together — predefined process, on-page and off-page connectors, preparation, delay, annotation.

A worked example: reading a cafe’s mobile-order chart

Say you’ve just joined a small cafe called Linden & Co. and the owner hands you a one-page chart of how mobile orders work. Read it by shape, not by label.

Count the shapes first. 2 ovals, 6 rectangles, 3 diamonds, 2 parallelograms, 1 cylinder, 1 document and 1 delay. Three diamonds means three places the process branches, the cylinder means something gets recorded, and the delay means somebody waits.

Find the start oval. “Customer submits order in app.” Below it, a parallelogram: “Order appears on kitchen tablet” — data arriving, as the shape promised.

Follow the first diamond. “All items in stock?” No goes to “Message customer with a substitute,” then a delay: “Wait up to 5 minutes for reply.” A second diamond, “Customer replied?”, sends No to “Refund missing item,” which rejoins the main path. You learned the cafe never holds an order more than five minutes from the D-shape before reading its label.

Follow the main path. “Make drinks,” “Bag order,” “Print label,” with a document shape for the label. The third diamond asks “Picked up within 30 minutes?” Yes ends at “Order complete”; No goes to “Move to the held shelf,” then the same end.

Check the storage. The cylinder hangs off “Refund missing item” and reads “Refund log.” Refunds are recorded; held orders aren’t. That gap is visible only because the shape made storage visible.

Common symbol mistakes and what they signal

A diamond with one exit. That’s a step dressed up as a decision. Use a rectangle.
A rectangle with two exits. There’s a hidden decision inside it. Pull the question out into a diamond.
Unlabeled arrows out of a diamond. The reader has to guess which path is Yes.
Decorative shapes. A hexagon because it looks nice, or a parallelogram for an ordinary step. A shape that doesn’t match its meaning misleads.
No end. If a branch just stops, the author never decided what happens there.
Mixed levels of detail. “Handle complaints” next to “Click Send.” Turn the big one into a predefined process with its own chart.

Flow diagram symbols vs flowchart symbols (and flow chart icons)

“Flow diagram” is a broader term, and some flow diagrams use different notations:

Data-flow diagrams (DFDs) show how data moves between processes, stores and external entities, not the order of steps. The Yourdon/DeMarco notation draws processes as circles and data stores as two parallel lines; Gane-Sarson uses rounded rectangles for processes and open-ended rectangles for stores. Both use plain rectangles for external entities.
BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a business-process standard: events are circles (thin border for start, thick for end), activities are rounded rectangles, and gateways (decisions) are diamonds, often organized in swimlanes.
Flow chart icons in tools such as Visio, Lucidchart, draw.io or PowerPoint are just these shapes packaged in a palette, usually named after the ISO meanings (Process, Decision, Data, Document). Colors and 3D styles are cosmetic; the outline shape carries the meaning.

For worked examples of these notations, see flow diagram symbols with examples.

Plan the steps before you pick the shapes

Every mistake above has the same root: choosing shapes before knowing the steps. Settle the content first.

A mind map works well for that. Put the process name in the center and add one branch each for inputs, actions, decisions, outputs and anything stored — those branches map almost one-to-one onto the symbol groups above. Mindmap AI is a mind-map app, not a flowchart-shape editor, but it is handy for this planning stage: sketch the branches on an infinite canvas, then switch to outline view to put the steps in order. That ordered list is your flowchart minus the shapes. Starting from one of the mind map templates saves setup time.

From there the drawing is mechanical. Our guide on how to make a flowchart for a process covers loops and handoffs between people.

FAQ

What are the flowchart symbols and their meanings?

The main flowchart symbols are the oval (start/end), rectangle (process step), diamond (decision), parallelogram (input/output), and arrow (flow direction). Supporting symbols include the document (wavy-bottom rectangle), cylinder (database), predefined process (rectangle with side bars), delay (D-shape), preparation (hexagon), and on-page and off-page connectors (circle and pentagon).

What is the start symbol in a flowchart?

The start symbol is the terminator: an oval or rounded rectangle labeled “Start” or “Begin.” It has no incoming arrows and one outgoing arrow to the first step. The same shape labeled “End” marks where the process finishes.

What does a diamond mean in a flowchart?

A diamond means a decision: a question with a limited set of answers, usually yes or no. It has one arrow coming in and two or more labeled arrows going out. A diamond with only one exit is not a real decision and should be a rectangle.

What are the 4 (or 5) basic flowchart symbols?

The four basic symbols are the oval for start and end, the rectangle for a process, the diamond for a decision, and the arrow for flow. The fifth most often added is the parallelogram for input and output, used whenever the process reads or produces data.

What is the difference between a flowchart and a flow diagram?

A flowchart shows the sequence of steps and decisions in a process using standard shapes. “Flow diagram” is a broader term that also covers data-flow diagrams, which show how data moves between processes and stores rather than step order, and BPMN process diagrams, which use their own notation for events, activities and gateways.

Is there an official standard for flowchart symbols (ISO 5807)?

Yes. ISO 5807:1985 is the international standard for flowchart symbols, building on earlier ANSI work. It defines the shapes and their meanings, including some for obsolete storage media. Most teams follow its core shapes and skip the outdated ones.

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