waving hand: light skin tone
Unicode: 1F44B 1F3FB
Description
A waving hand, specifically depicting a light skin tone. It is a common gesture for greeting or saying goodbye.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents greeting, farewell, hello, goodbye, or a general acknowledgment. The light skin tone modifier specifies the skin color of the hand.
Backstory
The waving hand emoji (👋) was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010. The skin tone modifiers (like 🏻, 🏼, 🏽, 🏾, 🏿) were introduced with Unicode 8.0 in 2015, allowing users to choose the complexion that best represents them or the person they are communicating about. This specific combination (1F44B 1F3FB) represents the standard waving hand with a light skin tone.
Usage Examples
- Greeting someone: 'Hey there! 👋🏻'
- Saying goodbye: 'See you tomorrow! 👋🏻'
- Acknowledging another person: 'Got your message! 👋🏻'
- Getting attention: 'Over here! 👋🏻'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Universally understood as a friendly greeting or farewell. Often used to signal presence or attract attention.
East Asian culture:
Similar meaning, used for greetings and goodbyes. The skin tone modifier allows for more personalized representation.
Middle East/North Africa:
Generally understood as a greeting, though non-verbal greetings can vary (e.g., Salaam). The emoji's general use is widely accepted.