sneezing face
Unicode: 1F927
Description
A yellow circular face with a hand covering its mouth, a common gesture of surprise, shock, or silence. Its eyes are wide, often suggesting astonishment or mild disbelief.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > face-unwell
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents surprise, shock, awe, disbelief, or the act of keeping a secret. It can also convey embarrassment or feigned innocence.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 9.0 (2016) as part of a larger set of emojis reflecting more nuanced human expressions and gestures. It quickly became popular for its versatility in conveying startled or astonished reactions in text-based communication.
Usage Examples
- Expressing surprise: 'Did you see that? 😮'
- Conveying shock: 'No way! That's unbelievable! 😮'
- Keeping a secret: 'Shhh, don't tell anyone 😮'
- Feigning innocence: 'Who, me? I didn't do anything 😮'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely used to express 'OMG' moments, surprise, or an 'I'm speechless' reaction. Also used for 'oops' or 'my bad' situations.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage for shock or surprise. Can also imply discretion or not wanting to reveal something, similar to 'mum's the word'.