vulcan salute: dark skin tone
Unicode: 1F596 1F3FF
Description
A hand with the thumb and little finger extended, and the three middle fingers curled into the palm, depicting the 'shaka' or 'hang loose' gesture. This specific emoji shows the gesture with a dark skin tone.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents a friendly intent, laid-back attitude, solidarity, or positive affirmation. It's often associated with Hawaiian surf culture and values of 'Aloha' (love, peace, compassion).
Backstory
The 'shaka' sign's origins are debated but are most commonly attributed to Hawaiian culture, particularly among surfers. It gained international recognition as a symbol of Hawaiian hospitality and positive vibes. The emoji was introduced in Unicode 6.0 (2010), and the skin tone modifiers (like 1F3FF for dark skin tone) were added later as part of Unicode 8.0 (2015) to allow for more diverse representation.
Usage Examples
- Greeting friends in a casual way: 'Hey man, long time no see! 🤙🏾'
- Indicating a relaxed or chill mood: 'Just chilling on the beach. 🤙🏾'
- Expressing gratitude or approval in a laid-back manner: 'Thanks for the ride! 🤙🏾'
- In a surfing context: 'Epic wave today! 🤙🏾'
Cultural Differences
Hawaii/Surfing Culture:
Widely used as a greeting, farewell, or way to express 'hang loose,' 'all good,' 'thanks,' or 'peace out.'
General Western Culture:
Understood by many as a symbol for 'hang loose' or a general positive, chill vibe, especially in contexts related to surfing, beaches, or casual friendliness. Can also be used subtly to indicate 'call me' by some.
China:
Can sometimes be misinterpreted as the number '6' (six), which may be confusing in specific contexts.
Other regions:
In some places, similar hand gestures might have different or even negative meanings, so context and local understanding are important.