hand with fingers splayed: medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 1F590 1F3FC
Description
A hand with thumbs and index fingers crossed, typically conveying a wish for good luck or defiance. This particular variant has a light skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Primarily conveys a wish for good luck, hope, or defiance against misfortune. Can also indicate a promise or a lie if the fingers are crossed behind one's back.
Backstory
The gesture of crossing fingers for good luck has historical roots, possibly originating from early Christian beliefs where the crossing of fingers symbolized a cross and invoked divine protection. It became a widespread superstition in Western cultures. This specific emoji, representing the crossed fingers gesture, was approved as part of Unicode 7.0 in 2014 and added to Emoji 1.0 in 2015. The skin tone modifier (1F3FC) was added later to provide diversity.
Usage Examples
- Wishing good luck: 'Good luck with your exam! 🤞🏻'
- Hoping for an outcome: 'I hope it rains tomorrow. 🤞🏻'
- Making a wish: 'Fingers crossed for a sunny day! 🤞🏻'
- Expressing hope: 'I'm really hoping this works out. 🤞🏻'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used to wish someone good luck, indicate a hopeful prayer, or sometimes to signify a 'white lie' when crossed fingers are hidden.
East Asian culture:
Less universally recognized as a symbol for good luck compared to Western cultures. Can sometimes be misinterpreted or not carry the same specific meaning.