🥺

pleading face

Unicode: 1F97A

Description

A yellow face with closed eyes, a small, open mouth, and a single tear rolling down its cheek. Its eyes are cast downwards, and it conveys a sense of deep sadness or disappointment.

Group:

Smileys & Emotion > face-concerned

Status:

fully-qualified

Emotion:

Typically represents a feeling of sadness, disappointment, dejection, or empathy for someone else's misfortune. It can also signify a tearful farewell or a moment of quiet grief.

Backstory

This emoji was introduced in Unicode 11.0 (2018) as part of a set of new facial expressions. It was designed to capture a more nuanced form of sadness than existing crying emojis, focusing on a quiet, dejected sorrow rather than outright weeping.

Usage Examples

  • Expressing empathy: 'Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. 🥺'
  • Feeling sad: 'That's really disappointing. 🥺'
  • Reacting to a sad story: 'My heart breaks for them. 🥺'
  • Quiet dejection: 'Lost the game again. 🥺'
  • Saying goodbye: 'Already missing you... 🥺'

Cultural Differences

Western culture:

Commonly used to express general sadness, commiseration, or mild disappointment. Can also be used dramatically for comedic effect.

East Asian culture:

Similar usage to Western culture, often used to express sympathy or a poignant moment. Sometimes used in a playful or exaggerated way to show 'fake crying'.