# What Is a Flowchart? Different Flowchart Symbols Explained

Canonical: https://sakura5.app/blog/what-is-flowchart-explain-different-flowchart-symbols/  
Published: 2026-10-26  
Author: the Sakura5 team · 8 min read  
Updated: 2026-10-26  
Publisher: Sakura5 (https://sakura5.app) · support@sakura5.app

> **TL;DR:** What is a flowchart? A clear definition, the different flowchart symbols explained by the question each answers, and a full ATM withdrawal example.

![What Is a Flowchart? Different Flowchart Symbols Explained](https://sakura5.app/img/blog/inline/what-is-flowchart-explain-different-flowchart-symbols-1.jpg)

A flowchart is a diagram that shows the steps of a process in order, using a small set of standard shapes connected by arrows: an oval for the start and end, a rectangle for an action, a diamond for a decision, a parallelogram for input or output, and arrows for the direction of flow. Each shape tells the reader what kind of step it is before they read a single word inside it, which is why the same chart can be understood by an engineer, a teacher and a new hire.

This guide explains what a flowchart is and where it came from, walks through the different flowchart symbols grouped by the question each one answers, covers the main types of flowchart you’ll run into, builds a full worked example of an ATM cash withdrawal, and ends with the questions people ask most often.

## What is a flowchart, really?

Strip away the shapes and a flowchart is an answer to one question: *what happens next?* The diamonds are where “what happens next” depends on an answer, and that is where most of a flowchart’s value lives, because branches are where processes stall, break or get done differently by different people.

The idea is older than computers. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth presented the “flow process chart” to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1921 as a way to study factory work. Programmers adopted it in the following decades to plan code before writing it, and the symbols were standardized — first by ANSI, later in ISO 5807 — so a chart drawn in one office would read the same in another.

A flowchart is not the same thing as a mind map or a general diagram. A mind map radiates out from one central idea with no fixed order; a flowchart has a direction and a sequence. If you’re unsure which one a job calls for, our comparison of [flowcharts versus other diagrams](https://sakura5.app/blog/flowchart-vs-diagram-which-to-use/) walks through the choice.

## Different flowchart symbols, explained by the question they answer

Most symbol lists are organized like a dictionary, which makes every shape look equally important. A better way to learn the different flowchart symbols is to ask what question each one answers about a step. Learn the first five and you can read almost any chart; the rest are worth recognizing.

![Different flowchart symbols, explained by the question they answer — what is flowchart explain different flowchart symbols](https://sakura5.app/img/blog/inline/what-is-flowchart-explain-different-flowchart-symbols-2.jpg)

*Most symbol lists are organized like a dictionary, which makes every shape look equally important.*

### 1. Where does it start and stop? The oval (terminator)

The rounded oval or pill shape marks the boundaries of the process. Label it with an event, not an action: “Customer inserts card,” “Order shipped.” A chart has one start and one or more ends — a process that can finish as “Approved” or “Rejected” honestly has two.

### 2. What happens here? The rectangle (process)

The rectangle holds a single action, written verb-first: “Verify PIN,” “Calculate total,” “Email the customer.” If a label contains “and,” it’s usually two rectangles pretending to be one.

### 3. Which way next? The diamond (decision)

The diamond holds a question with a clear answer, and every arrow leaving it carries a label, normally “Yes” and “No.” “Balance at least $100?” works; “Enough money?” invites argument. When you feel the urge to give a diamond three exits, you almost always have two decisions in a row.

### 4. What goes in or comes out? The parallelogram (input/output)

The slanted parallelogram marks data crossing the edge of the process: a user typing something in, a screen showing a message, a receipt printing.

### 5. In what order? The arrow (flow line)

Arrows connect everything and give the chart its direction. Keep the main path running top to bottom or left to right, avoid crossings, and treat an arrow pointing back up the page as a loop that needs an obvious exit.

### 6. Where does this continue? Connectors

A small circle with a letter inside joins two parts of a chart without a long arrow snaking across it; put “A” where a branch leaves and a matching “A” where it resumes. The off-page connector, a pentagon shaped like home plate, does the same job across pages.

### 7. The specialist shapes

- **Document** — a rectangle with a wavy bottom: a report, form or printout.
- **Predefined process** — a rectangle with double side bars: a sub-process drawn in its own chart.
- **Stored data / database** — a cylinder: information saved or retrieved.
- **Manual input** — a rectangle with a sloped top: someone entering data by hand.
- **Delay** — a D shape: a deliberate wait, such as “Hold 24 hours.”
- **Preparation** — a hexagon: a setup step, often initializing a counter before a loop.

The American Society for Quality keeps a concise reference on [flowchart symbols and when to use them](https://asq.org/quality-resources/flowchart). For a slower, beginner-paced tour of the core set with a full password-reset example, see our guide to [flowchart symbols and meanings for beginners](https://sakura5.app/blog/flowchart-symbols-and-meanings-for-beginners/).

## The main types of flowchart

The symbols stay the same; what changes is what the chart is for. Knowing the type tells you which symbols you’ll lean on.

![The main types of flowchart — what is flowchart explain different flowchart symbols](https://sakura5.app/img/blog/inline/what-is-flowchart-explain-different-flowchart-symbols-3.jpg)

*The symbols stay the same; what changes is what the chart is for.*

- **Process flowchart** — the everyday kind. Shows how a piece of work moves from trigger to outcome, built mostly from rectangles and diamonds.
- **Swimlane flowchart** — the same chart split into horizontal or vertical lanes, one per person or team, so handoffs become visible. Use it when the question is “who does this?” as much as “what happens?”
- **Program or algorithm flowchart** — plans the logic of code. Parallelograms for input and output, hexagons for loop setup and diamonds for every condition matter here.
- **Data flowchart** — follows information rather than people, so documents and database cylinders show up more often.

## A worked example: the ATM cash withdrawal

An ATM withdrawal is a good teaching case because almost everyone has done one and it uses nearly every core symbol. Assume a bank with these rules: a customer gets three attempts to enter the PIN, the daily withdrawal limit is $500, and the machine only dispenses multiples of $20.

Before drawing, list the steps as plain text and check them against those rules. In [Mindmap AI](https://sakura5.app/mindmapai/) you can type “ATM cash withdrawal” as a topic and, with Pro, the AI builds a map of the parts of the process — card, PIN, amount, balance, dispensing — which you then correct against your own rules. Switching the map to outline view gives you an ordered list to turn into boxes.

Here is the chart, top to bottom:

1. **Oval:** “Customer inserts card.”
2. **Preparation (hexagon):** “Set attempts = 0.”
3. **Parallelogram:** “Customer enters PIN.”
4. **Rectangle:** “Add 1 to attempts.”
5. **Diamond:** “PIN correct?” Yes continues to step 7. No goes to step 6.
6. **Diamond:** “Attempts = 3?” No loops back to step 3. Yes goes to a rectangle, “Retain card,” then an end oval, “Card retained.”
7. **Parallelogram:** “Customer enters amount.”
8. **Diamond:** “Amount is a multiple of $20?” No goes to a parallelogram, “Show ‘Enter a multiple of $20’,” and loops back to step 7.
9. **Diamond:** “Amount plus today’s withdrawals ≤ $500?” No shows a limit message and loops back to step 7.
10. **Cylinder:** “Read account balance.”
11. **Diamond:** “Balance ≥ amount?” No shows “Insufficient funds” and goes to an end oval, “Card returned.”
12. **Rectangle:** “Debit account.” Then **parallelogram:** “Dispense cash.” Then **document:** “Print receipt.”
13. **Oval:** “Card returned, transaction complete.”

Now trace two cases. A customer who mistypes the PIN once and asks for $120 with $340 in the account passes through the PIN loop twice, clears all three amount checks and ends at the final oval. A customer who has already taken out $400 today and asks for $200 fails the limit check, is told their remaining limit, and re-enters an amount. If either trace hits a step the chart doesn’t show, the chart is wrong, not the customer.

Notice what the symbols did. Without reading the labels, you can see three loops (PIN, amount format, daily limit), three different endings and exactly one place where the bank’s data is touched. That’s the point of a flowchart. For the general method behind this — setting boundaries, ordering steps and walking the chart with someone who does the work — see our guide on [how to make a flowchart for a process](https://sakura5.app/blog/how-to-make-a-flowchart-for-a-process/).

## Mistakes that make symbols stop meaning anything

Three habits undo the symbols.

**Choosing shapes for looks.** A diamond used to highlight an important step, or a parallelogram used because it seems more interesting than a rectangle, forces the reader to distrust every shape. Pick by meaning, every time.

**Unlabeled decision exits.** Two arrows leaving a diamond with no “Yes” or “No” on them turn the chart into a guessing game. Label every exit, even when it feels obvious.

**Mixed levels of detail.** “Handle the complaint” next to “Click Save” makes the chart unreadable. When one box hides a whole process, swap it for a predefined-process symbol and draw that sub-process separately. A mind map is a quick way to find those hidden sub-processes before you draw: anything that sprouts four or five child ideas in [Mindmap AI](https://sakura5.app/mindmapai/) probably deserves its own chart.

## FAQ

**What is a flowchart in simple words?**

A flowchart is a picture of a process. It breaks the process into steps, puts each step in a shape that shows what kind of step it is, and connects them with arrows so you can follow the order from start to finish, including every point where the path splits depending on a yes-or-no answer.

**How many flowchart symbols are there?**

Standards such as ISO 5807 define a few dozen, but most charts use five or six: the oval for start and end, the rectangle for an action, the diamond for a decision, the parallelogram for input or output, arrows for flow and the small circle connector. The rest, such as document and database shapes, appear in specialist charts.

**What is the difference between the rectangle and the parallelogram?**

A rectangle is something the process does internally, like calculating a total or approving a request. A parallelogram is data crossing the edge of the process, either coming in, such as a user typing a PIN, or going out, such as a screen showing an error. In informal charts people often use rectangles for both.

**Can a flowchart have more than one end?**

Yes. A process that can finish in genuinely different ways should show each ending as its own oval, such as “Card retained” and “Transaction complete” in an ATM chart. What it should not have is more than one start; if two triggers lead into the same steps, that usually means two separate processes.

About the app: [MindMap AI: Mind Map Maker](https://sakura5.app/mindmapai/) · App Store: https://sakura5.app/go/mindmapai?from=/blog/what-is-flowchart-explain-different-flowchart-symbols/