The Wau: Malaysia's Kite Heritage, From Kelantan Beaches to the Malaysia Airlines Logo

Few objects carry a nation as lightly as the wau. Bamboo, paper and string, cut into a crescent and sent into the monsoon wind, it has become one of Malaysia’s most recognisable symbols.

On the open padi fields and beaches of Kelantan, kite-flying has long followed the rhythm of the rice year. The state’s tourism office describes the wau as a traditional game usually played after the harvest, when the fields lie empty and the wind is steady. Today the wau is formally part of the national story too: Wau Tradisi Malaysia was declared a National Heritage item by the Department of National Heritage in 2009, and the much-loved folk song “Wau Bulan” followed in 2012.

A Kite of Many Shapes

There is no single wau. Kelantan’s tourism portal lists the wau jala budi, wau kucing, wau merak and wau bulan among many others, and Kraftangan Malaysia’s profile of the master kite-maker Shafie Jusoh adds the wau puyuh and wau barat. Three are widely described as the traditional national kites: the wau bulan, the wau jala budi and the wau kucing.

Wau bulan (moon kite): Kelantan’s pride. Look for the shape of the moon in it, a rounded form at the waist and a crescent at the tail.
Wau kucing (cat kite): named because its tail is said to resemble the back of a cat’s head, with a broader chest and a smaller tail than the wau bulan.
Wau merak (peacock kite): associated with Johor, and celebrated for its voice.
Wau jala budi: one of the three traditional national kites, often recognised by its distinctive tail.

The Craft: Bamboo, Paper and a Humming Bow

A traditional wau begins as a split-bamboo frame, covered with paper and then layered with cut-paper decoration known as sobekan. Kraftangan lists classic motifs including awan larat (scrolling clouds), lada hitam, ketam guri, daun kacang and daun jarak, patterns drawn from the plants and creatures of village life.

Many wau also sing. A taut bow, the busur, is fixed to the kite and hums as the wind passes over it, the tone changing with its thinness, the wind speed and the skill of the flyer. According to Kraftangan, the wau merak can produce seven kinds of sound and the wau bulan three, while the wau barat is silent.

Shafie Jusoh, born in 1947 and appointed Adiguru Kraf Wau Tradisional by Kraftangan Malaysia in 2006, is one of the best-known keepers of the craft. He taught himself by watching friends fly kites in the padi fields, and his rounded wau bulan design was inspired by the wau that once appeared on Malaysia’s 50 sen coin. Kraftangan records that he has demonstrated wau-making abroad at Malaysia Airlines’ invitation, a neat link to the kite’s most famous modern role.

Why a Kite Became an Airline

When Malaysian Airline System began flying on 1 October 1972, it chose a red kite as its emblem. A column by Yasmin Merican of the branding consultancy Trax Associates recalls that, according to the airline’s first chief executive, Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye, the kite was chosen because it was indigenous to Malaysia, a symbol of graceful and controlled flight. In 1987 the airline became Malaysia Airlines, and designer Datuk Johan Ariff modernised the kite and wordmark into the red-and-blue form still seen on tails today.

A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A350 departing KLIA in January 2025, the stylised wau on its tail.
Photo: S5A-0043 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Editor’s Note

Is the logo a wau bulan? Not necessarily. The kite is often described that way, and the Trax column speaks of the wau bulan, or Kelantan kite, but a Kraftangan brochure quoted by the news site CILISOS identifies the wau kucing as the kite acknowledged in the airline’s corporate logo. CILISOS found that the airline itself has given both answers. We think the honest description is simply a stylised wau, and the debate is part of the fun.

Where to See Wau Today

Muzium Wau Kelantan, at the entrance to Pantai Sri Tujoh in Tumpat, opened in 2011 and displays traditional kites alongside wau from Japan, Thailand, Korea, Australia and beyond. The state museum corporation lists entry at RM2 for Malaysian adults and RM4 for international adults, with opening hours of 8.30am to 4.45pm from Sunday to Thursday; it is closed on Fridays and Saturdays, in keeping with Kelantan’s weekend. Kite-making sessions with resident craftsmen can be arranged by prior application.

Two festivals anchor the calendar. The Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival in Johor held its 28th edition from 4 to 8 February 2026 at Bukit Layang-Layang, with entries from a record 56 countries. In Kelantan, the 43rd Pesta Wau Antarabangsa drew 150 participants from 11 countries to Pantai Irama, Bachok, from 20 to 23 May 2026. Dates for 2027 had not been announced when we went to press, so check with the organisers before planning a trip.

Good to know

Buying a wau: decorative wau are made to hang, not fly. If you want one to fly, ask the maker for a wau naik.
Packing: large kites travel badly. Ask for a box, or choose a smaller piece for the cabin.
On the beach: fly well away from power lines, roads and other people, especially on windy afternoons.

Opening hours and fees can change; please confirm with the museum or festival organisers before you travel.

Watch a wau climb above a Kelantan beach, its bow humming, and it is easy to see why a young airline borrowed its spirit. Some symbols are chosen. This one, you feel, was simply waiting to be noticed.

Do you remember flying a wau as a child? Tell us where in the comments below.

Explore the magazine