A regular hexagon has 6 lines of symmetry. Each line divides the hexagon into two identical mirror-image halves. This works because a regular hexagon has six equal sides and six equal angles, so there are six different ways to fold it perfectly in half.
Where the 6 Lines Fall
The six lines of symmetry in a regular hexagon come in two types. Three lines run through opposite vertices (corners), connecting one corner straight across to the corner on the other side. The other three lines run through the midpoints of opposite sides, cutting through the flat edges rather than the corners. Every one of these six lines passes through the exact center of the hexagon.
This pattern follows a simple rule: a regular polygon always has the same number of lines of symmetry as it has sides. A square has 4, a regular pentagon has 5, and a regular hexagon has 6. The equal side lengths and equal angles create a perfectly balanced shape that can be mirrored along multiple axes.
Rotational Symmetry
Beyond line symmetry, a regular hexagon also has rotational symmetry. You can rotate it around its center by 60°, 120°, 180°, 240°, or 300° and it looks exactly the same each time. That gives it rotational symmetry of order 6, meaning it maps onto itself six times during a full 360° turn.
Combining all the reflections (6 lines) and all the rotations (6, including the identity where you don’t rotate at all) gives the hexagon a total of 12 symmetry operations. Mathematicians call this the dihedral group D6, but the practical takeaway is straightforward: the regular hexagon is one of the most symmetrical shapes you’ll encounter in everyday geometry.
Why the Geometry Works
A regular hexagon’s interior angles each measure 120°, and they add up to 720° total (using the formula (n − 2) × 180°, where n is the number of sides). Each exterior angle is 60°. These consistent measurements are what make all six lines of symmetry possible. If any side were a different length or any angle were off, at least some of those symmetry lines would disappear.
This is also why regular hexagons tile a flat surface so efficiently. Honeycombs, bolt heads, and board game tiles use hexagonal shapes precisely because the angles and symmetry allow them to fit together without gaps.
Irregular Hexagons Have Fewer
Not every six-sided shape has six lines of symmetry. An irregular hexagon, where the sides or angles aren’t all equal, can have anywhere from zero to five lines of symmetry depending on its specific proportions. Some irregular hexagons still have a couple of symmetry lines. For example, a hexagon shaped like an elongated diamond might have two lines of symmetry, one vertical and one horizontal, while a completely asymmetric hexagon has none at all.
So when someone asks “how many lines of symmetry does a hexagon have,” the answer depends on whether the hexagon is regular. For a regular hexagon, it’s always 6. For an irregular one, you’d need to check the shape individually by looking for lines that divide it into two mirror-image halves.