raised hand
Unicode: 270B
Description
A raised hand with the palm facing forward, fingers and thumb extended upwards.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Can express a variety of emotions including a greeting (hello, goodbye), a stop or halt command, a request for silence or attention, a high-five gesture, or a general sense of being present/participating.
Backstory
This emoji, along with many other common hand gestures, was introduced relatively early in Unicode. It represents a widely recognized universal gesture.
Usage Examples
- Greeting someone: 'Hey there! ✋'
- Signaling 'stop': 'Stop right there! ✋'
- Requesting silence/attention: 'Everyone listen up! ✋'
- A high-five: 'Good job! ✋'
- Indicating 'wait': '✋ just a second, I'll be right there.'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used for 'stop', 'talk to the hand', 'hello', 'goodbye', or a high-five, especially in informal contexts.
East Asian culture:
Can be used similarly for 'stop' or 'hi', but also to indicate 'wait' or 'give me a moment' in some contexts. In some anime/manga, it's used to indicate 'thank you for your hard work' (otsukaresama).