skull and crossbones
Unicode: 2620
Description
A skull with crossbones, a traditional symbol often associated with death, danger, or piracy.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > face-negative
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Typically represents danger, warning, death, poison, or something forbidden. Can also be used playfully in contexts of 'dead tired' or 'dying of laughter' in informal messaging, but its primary association is with hazard.
Backstory
The skull and crossbones symbol has a long history, dating back centuries as a memento mori (a reminder of death) and later famously adopted by pirates as their Jolly Roger flag. Its digital representation was introduced in Unicode 1.1 (1993), making it one of the earliest emoji-like symbols available.
Usage Examples
- Warning about danger: 'Careful, that area is really slippery ☠️'
- Indicating poison or toxic: 'Do not ingest! ☠️'
- Expressing extreme fatigue (informal): 'I'm so tired, I'm practically a walking zombie ☠️'
- Humorous exaggeration (informal): 'That joke killed me ☠️'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely recognized as a symbol for poison, death, danger, or piracy. Used on warning labels for hazardous materials.
East Asian culture:
Similar associations with danger and death. Can also be used more broadly in fashion or pop culture for a 'rebel' or edgy aesthetic.