vulcan salute: medium-light skin tone
Unicode: 1F596 1F3FC
Description
A hand with the thumb and little finger extended, resembling the 'I love you' sign in American Sign Language, with a light skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Represents love, approval, support, or a friendly greeting. Specifically, it is the 'I Love You' hand sign.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 10.0 (2017) as part of the 'I Love You Hand Sign' emoji, which is derived from American Sign Language (ASL). It combines the thumb, index finger, and pinky finger of the ASL signs for 'I', 'L', and 'Y' respectively.
Usage Examples
- Expressing affection: 'I love you, mom! 🤟🏼'
- Showing support: 'We can do it! 🤟🏼'
- Friendly greeting: 'Catch you later! 🤟🏼'
- During concerts: 'This band is awesome! 🤟🏼'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Widely recognized as the 'I Love You' sign, especially in the US.
Brazilian culture:
Can be used to express admiration or enthusiasm, similar to a 'rock on' gesture but with a softer meaning.
Mediterranean/Latin American culture:
Similar to the 'horns' or 'corna' gesture, which can ward off evil or be used in rock music, but the extended thumb distinguishes it as 'I love you'.