speech balloon
Unicode: 1F4AC
Description
A cartoon speech bubble typically used to represent dialogue or conversation, with a sharp, pointed tail indicating a speaker.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > emotion
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Neutral, but commonly used to indicate a spoken message, a conversation, or the act of speaking/communicating.
Backstory
The speech balloon, or speech bubble, has a long history in comic strips and cartoons, originating from the early 20th century as a way to visually represent character dialogue. Its digital representation as an emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010), standardizing its use across platforms for communication-related contexts.
Usage Examples
- Indicating a conversation is happening: 'Let's chat about it tomorrow 💬'
- Prompting a response or question: 'What do you think? 💬'
- Referring to a message or statement: 'Did you get my 💬?'
- Used playfully in a communicative context: 'A little bird told me... 💬'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely recognized as a symbol for speech, dialogue, or communication. Often used in comics and digital interfaces.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage to Western culture, frequently used in manga and anime to denote character dialogue. Sometimes used in a playful or humorous context.