upside-down face
Unicode: 1F643
Description
A yellow circular face with a slightly open mouth and no eyebrows, with its head appearing to explode or 'pop' off its body in a cartoonish manner. The top of the head is detached and slightly above the rest of the face, often with stars or other small elements around the 'explosion'.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > face-smiling
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents shock, surprise, amazement, awe, or being dumbfounded. It can also convey a feeling of overwhelmingness, brain fart, or intense focus leading to mental overload.
Backstory
The 'Exploding Head' emoji was approved as part of Unicode 10.0 in 2017 and added to Emoji 5.0. It visually represents the colloquialism 'my head just exploded' to convey extreme mental reaction, often due to astonishing or perplexing information.
Usage Examples
- Receiving shocking news: 'Wait, they got married?! 💥'
- Reacting to an amazing fact: 'Did you know octopuses have three hearts? 💥'
- Feeling overwhelmed: 'This exam is too much, my brain is 💥'
- Surprised by something funny: 'That joke was hilarious, I literally 💥'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used for expressions of extreme surprise, mind blown moments, or as a playful way to say something is incredibly impressive or confusing.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage, often emphasizing extreme shock or 'brain overload' from information or an unexpected event. Can also be used for something incredibly funny or absurd.