Meson octet ($8_M$)

The pseudoscalar octet of flavor symmetry contains three pions, four kaons and the Eta octet state. In its weight diagram, the neutral pion and ${\eta }_8$ are separate states at the origin.

The zero-isospin, zero-flavor hypercharge state ${\eta }_8=(u\bar{u}+d\bar{d}-2s\bar{s})/\sqrt{6}$ in the pseudoscalar meson octet. It is a pure octet basis state; the physical eta may mix it with the flavor-singlet state.