face with hand over mouth
Unicode: 1F92D
Description
A yellow face with its brows furrowed and hands covering its mouth, indicating embarrassment, shock, or surprise. It often conveys a feeling of being speechless or overwhelmed by an unexpected event.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > face-hand
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents shock, embarrassment, speechlessness, awe, or a feeling of being overwhelmed. It can also signify a 'facepalm' moment or discomfort.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 9.0 (2016) as part of a batch of emojis designed to express more nuanced emotions and reactions. It quickly became popular for situations where someone is left speechless or flustered.
Usage Examples
- Being embarrassed: 'I can't believe I said that 😳'
- Expressing shock/surprise: 'Wait, they broke up?! 😳'
- Feeling overwhelmed: 'That exam was so hard, I just 😳'
- Reacting to an awkward situation: 'Did he just trip on air? 😳'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used to express embarrassment, 'oops' moments, or being stunned by something surprising or awkward.
East Asian culture:
Can also be used for shyness, surprise, or a general sense of being taken aback or speechless in a 'what just happened?' way.