The coat of arms of Burundi, adopted in 1966, consists of a shield surrounded by three spears. On the shield is the motto of the nation, as well as the head of a lion. Behind the shield there are three crossed traditional African spears. Under the shield the national motto of Burundi appears on a scroll: (French for 'Unity, Labour, Progress').
The constitution of Burundi describes the coat of arms as follows:
The previous coat of arms of the Kingdom of Burundi, used from 1962 until 1966, looked very similar, except that the royal karyenda drum was surmounted on the top as a symbol of the mwami ('king'), surrounded by two laurels. The number of spears was four. The national motto was Ganza Sabwa, which is Kirundi for .