palm down hand
Unicode: 1FAF3
Description
A yellow face holding back tears, with a small, downturned mouth and big, watery eyes. It often appears to be on the verge of crying.
Group:
People & Body > hand-fingers-open
Status:
fully-qualified
Emotion:
Typically represents sadness, disappointment, hurt, or being overwhelmed to the point of crying. It can also convey empathy or a feeling of being touched.
Backstory
This emoji was introduced in Unicode 14.0 (2021) as part of an effort to expand the range of emotional expressions available, particularly nuanced ones like holding back tears or feeling emotional. It aims to capture the moment just before crying or a feeling of suppressed emotion.
Usage Examples
- Expressing sadness: 'The movie was so sad 🥹'
- Feeling overwhelmed: 'This has been a tough week 🥹'
- Showing empathy: 'I'm so sorry you're going through that 🥹'
- Being touched: 'Your kindness means so much to me 🥹'
- Minor disappointment: 'My order was wrong 🥹'
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used to express genuine sadness, emotional distress, or being deeply moved by something touching.
East Asian culture:
Similar usage, but might also be used in a slightly more exaggerated or playful way to express minor inconvenience or disappointment, akin to 'boo hoo'.